Compassion
by Alaythassa
Summary: Post!DH - When Harry is left by all those dear to him, he gets send to an alternate universe by a mighty being. There, most of the people that died in the war are still alive. How will he adjust to this life, and more importantly: how does he get back into his reality? HG/Weasleys!Bashing
1. The Dream

_Hey guys, how are you?_

_I know, I should probably just continue all my other stories before I begin a new one, but this idea just didn't leave me alone. I couldn't stop thinking about it. _

_Name: Compassion_

_Summary: Post!DH - When Harry is left by all those dear to him, he gets send to an alternate universe by a mighty being. There, most of the people that died in the war are still alive. How will he adjust to this life, and more importantly: how does he get back into his reality? HG/Weasleys!Bashing_

_Disclaimer: I will get to this in the next chapter because I want you to guess the second fandom. Yes, there is a second fandom, but I'm still uploading it here! Harhar, I'm so bad._

_I originally planed to first write every chapter of this story and then upload it, but then I told myself to **** it and do it now!_

_This story is unbetaed. You have been warned!_

* * *

_**The Dream  
**_

_"I am the true master of the Elder Wand."_

_"You wield power the Dark Lord does not know."_

_"I've had enough trouble for a lifetime."_

_"Ginny! How could you do this to me?!"_

_"Of all the things I know about you, unfaithfulness wasn't one of them. I'm disgusted, Harry Potter. Disgusted with _you_!"_

_"What should I do? Is there any reason in my life left? What is the meaning of my misery ...?"_

_"I shouldn't have killed him. I feel so ... bad. I know all the things he's done, but ... I shouldn't have taken his life just like that."_

_"I should know how important life is."_

I woke up with a start. Another nightmare. As if I haven't had enough of them already to last me a lifetime. I sat up in my bed, looking at the clock beside it on the nighttable. The digital numbers read 3:16. Perfect. Another useless day in my useless life started early.

I sighed, rubbed the sleep from my eyes and got out of the bed. I knew that I wouldn't be able to go back to sleep now and the Sleeping Potions I bought in the apothecary last months were all gone. I realized that I should really drag my ass out of this place a little bit more often to buy things and sighed again. I called for Kreacher, and he materialized with a pop.

"What does Master Harry need?", he asked, Regulus's locket hanging around his thin neck. I looked at him for a few seconds, regarding his bowing form with only slight concern before I answered his question.

"I want to take a bath, please, and a breakfast. I don't need you untill lunch again so you can do what pleases you in your free time."

He regarded me with slight concern and I almost laughed. If someone would have told me that Kreacher was capable of feeling this particular emotion for a mere half-blood like me, I would have gotten them into an asylum as soon as possible. It was a miracle how much this little houseelf had changed just because of the posession of his late master's locket. The little creature continued to stare at him, then he bowed.

"I will start the bath immediately. Afterwards you will find your breakfast in your room, as always."

"Yes, thank you, Kreacher." The elf bowed again and left with a 'pop'.

I sighed again, a motion I did more often recently and went to the huge bathroom of the Black house. Grimmauld Place 12 had a lot of these, but this one was special. The tube had been expanded magically and resembled a pool in the muggle world. At the side were different golden faucets, that, when turned on, would pour different substances into the bath. There were rosmarin, vanille, strawberry, apple, peanut and even chocolate; the Black hadn't been one of the richest pureblood families of Britain for nothing.

I stared at the special faucets when I entered the bathroom, noting on the side that Kreacher had already turned the water faucet on. A constant stream of warm liquid flowed into the pool like tube and I couldn't help but anticipate to bath in it. Carefully I started to strip, throwing my pajama into the laundry basket. I always did the laundry myself the muggle way, because it was one of the few things that were tedious enough to let me forget.

Forget about all the misery in my life. How could I have been so blind? How could I have been deceived like that? Was I that easy to manipulate? Didn't I see what was right in front of my eyes? I sighed as my trail of thoughts shifted into this suicidal direction again. But I couldn't help it. Everyday I continued to live was a day I thought about all the shit in my life and how much of it resembled a pile of rubble. I thought about suicide too. Almost each time my thoughts took a turn for the worst I thought about the possibility to just end it, to put myself out of this Hell called Life. Perhaps then, I would be finally be able to be happy.

The tube was filled and turned off the faucet. Colorless steam rose from the smooth surface of the water and I knew I would probably burn my skin by bathing in it, but I honestly didn't care. I looked at the golden faucets again and decided to pour a little bit of the apple substance into it. I went around to turn it on and a loud slosh was heard, before a good handful of green liquid poured into the bath. I let it flow for a good twentys seconds before I turned it off again and smiled at my handywork rather proudly. Pathethic. If a silly bath could have this effect on me, there really must be something wrong with my head.

I finally slid into the burning water, waiting for my body to adjust to the warmth suddenly surrounding it. The apple substance whirled around in the water, taking the oddest shapes and I smiled a little. As in, my face muscles quirked upward a little. I hadn't smiled in a long time, ten months or so if I#m being exact. It was the day my misery officialy began.

* * *

Do you know the feeling you get sometimes when you think you forgot something at home? That was the feeling I had when I left for work two months after I had defeated Voldemort. Ginny and I had moved together soon after, declaring that we wanted to get married. The Weasley clan had taken the news rather well and welcomed me into their family, altough they already considered me as a member.

I had started to work as an auror aloongside Ron after Kingsley had offered us the jobs without us having to take the normal tests. We both had jumped at the chance, but Hermione did not. She was at Hogwarts back then, finishing her education with flying colors just like we always knew she would. Ginny left Hogwarts, too, to work as a Chaser for a small team named the 'Long Lasters'. She was rather succesful and I knew that when Quidditch Season would start, they would destroy their opponents.

So that dreadful day in July, three weeks before my eighteenth birthday, I turned around and went home again because I was sure I had forgotten something important. It was a rather nice day so I just wore some jeans and a t-shirt, but sweated nonetheless. I apparated home – to Grimmauld Place – and when I opened the door, I was met with silence. Ginny had taken a few days off and was supposed to go to training the next day, so I wanted to spend every minute that I could with my fiancée. I thought something along the line of 'Perhaps I can finally persuade her to go to this little Italian restaurant with me' when I heard the noise.

It came from upstairs, our bedroom to be precise. At first I thought I had imagined it, but then it sounded again and I grew curious. What could it be? Was Ginny sick, perhaps, and had crawled into bed again to rest? I almost convinced myself of this possibility, but then I heard my fiancée scream. My fiancée. Screaming in my house. Something must be wrong! I threw caution in the wind and went upstairs as silently and quickly as I could. If someone was in the house and doing things to my precious little redhead ...! When I finally stood in front of our bedroom door, I heard her scream yet again and couldn't take it any longer. I threw open the door, bolted into the room and pointed my wand at the bed. But what I saw wasn't what I expected.

There Ginny lay, her wrists cuffed to the headboard, naked. Hovering over her was a middle-aged men with thick curly brown hair and clear blue eyes. When he looked at me, his eyes widened, as did Ginny's. I just looked at them both, my brain not being able to comprehend the scene I saw before me.

Ginny.

With another man.

Naked.

In _our _bed!

Suddenly anger arose within me like never before and with a wave of my hand, the man flew off my soon-to-be wife at once. He yelled when he fell against the dresser rather bluntly and the sound of something breaking was like the finest music I had ever heard. He looked at me with fearful eyes when I pointed my wand at him, but then Ginny screamed.

"No, don't hurt him! Please, Harry, darling-"

"What were you doing before I came in?", my voice was like ice and it felt as if the temperature in the room dropped a few degrees. Out of the corner of my eye I saw that Ginny swallowed heavily.

"We were ... I mean we did ... we had ... sex."

Somehow hearing what she had done from the woman I loved hurt even more than seeing it. I stumbled slightly, but managed to get a hold of myself. I looked at her with as much fury as I could at this moment and then turned to her lover again.

"Get out!", I spat at him and he scrambled to his feet. Within seconds he had gathered all of his clothes together and ran out of the room as fast as if the Devil was hot on his heels. I chuckled darkly at this thought. Right now, he should have stuck with the devil.

"Harry?", Ginny asked quietly and I looked back at her. With a wave of my wand, the handcuffs opened and she rubbed the sore spots on her wrists. Then she covered herself with the sheet and I snorted.

"It's not as if I haven't seen you naked before", I snarled and she cringed. But then I saw that the fire in her eyes returned and she gazed at me stubbornly.

"Are you really that angry at me? Did you really not notice what I was doing? Are you THAT naive?"

"Perhaps", I said and went to the wall at the other side of the room, leaning against it. I wrapped my arms around myself and glared at her. "Ginny! How could you do this to me?! How long has this been going on?!"

"More than a month."

"How?!"

"I met him at this place in Surrey. We started to talk and our conversation made me think about this", she waved her hand at the room, "About us. I came to the conclusion that we weren't meant for each other, and so ..."

"You went behind my back."

"Did you really think I would stay monogamous?"

"Well, I thought your mom teached you better then this."

"Then you thought wrong", she sighed bitterly. "Please, Harry, you are nice and all, but you are too much of a _burden_ to people for them to really care about you. Just look at you! You are a trouble magnet. Everywhere you go someone either dies or gets injured. Because of you, one of my brothers already died and two are scared for life! Think about it. What would a woman like me do with such a ... man like you? You're not even an adult! You're still a teenager!"

Her words scarfed through me like a sharp knife and I felt my heart shatter to pieces. Was this how she really thought about me after all we had gone through? Was I so below her that I didn't deserve her to love me, to be in her presence? Dread filled me and my mouth went dry. I managed to choke back the tears, but just barely. I wouldn't cry in front of this ... this _whore_, even if it was the last thing I'd do.

"Get out", I whispered brokenly. She looked at me confused.

"What?", she asked and in this moment, it felt as if my whole being was nothing but rage.

"Get your sorry ass out of my house, you stupid whore!", I screamed at her and she duck just barely before I send a curse her way. She started to scream at me but I didn't care. The rage that consumed me was like a soothing presence at the back of my mind, whispering endearments into my ear. I couldn't understand them, and I didn't want to, either. All I wanted was for the girl that shattered my heart just like that to get out of MY house.

"Get out!", I screamed again and she stumbled out of the room and down the stairs. Her red locks that I had once so admired not meant nothing to me anymore and I casted a cutting curse at them. This time, she wasn't fast enought to dodge and I managed to cut off her rather long hair just below her shoulders.

Ginny whailed in agony at the loss of her beautiful long hair but said nothing and kept running down the stairs. A few times she almost fell, but she caught herself and jumped down the last three stairs. She cast a look at me, filled with rage and helplessness, sadness because of her hair and an arrogance that made me cast another curse in her direction. She ducked again and when she looked at me again, her face was as mask of determination.

"You will come to regret throwing me out, Harry Potter. Believe me, I will make sure of this!"

I couldn't have cared less and when she finally opened the street and ran out as nude as God had made her, I sank to my knees and started to sob. How come I never realized that she was using me all along? How come I didn't see that she didn't really love me, but probably my name that held so many possibilities? I couldn't understand. Why? What had I done in my former life to have one so fucked up?

The rage still whirled inside me and with another wave of my hand I closed the door and went to the old living room on the second floor. As soon as I got there, I closed the door magically, casted a silencing charm on the room and then started to destroy everything I could see so thouroghly that not even Kreacher would be able to mend it with his elf magic.

Some things I destroyed with my magic, but most of them fell prey to my hands. I smashed the tea cups at the wall with so much force that some of the wallpaper was ripped slightly, some stripes hanging onto the floor. Next were the fine china I found in one of the cupboards. I broke them to pieces with my bare hands, tiny little shards cutting in my knuckles. I smiled evily and enjoyed the pain I felt. I imagined the plates as Ginny's face and became even more forcefully while I broke them into pieces. I then found silked sheets in a drawer and proceeded to rip them apart, into as much pieces as I could. It was pleasuring to imagine the fine material as Ginny's wedding dress. When I was through with them, I let them fall to the ground in a pile of stripes and looked for the next thing to destroy. I soon found it and pointed my wand at the ceiling of the room.

In the middle of it hung a golden chandelier with crystaline ornaments hanging from its many arms. I imagined it as the paths our marriage could have taken and yelled '_BOMBADA_', aiming at the base. The chandelier fell and then burst into pieces of gold and crystal, engulfing me. A few tiny shards cut through the exposed skin on my arms and my face, but I didn't feel the pain. My heartbreak was far too powerful.

I continued to destroy everything in the room and when I was finally finished, I broke down in the middle of all the destruction and started to cry. I cried for my lost love, for my broken heart and for my inability to take my anger out on Ginny. I would never be able to properly hurt her, not after all we went through together. I still loved her, even though she had deceived and used me like no other had so far in my life.

I didn't know how long I kneeled on the ground, crying my eyes out before Kreacher came into the room and gasped. I looked up and saw the elf staring at me with something akin to concern in his eyes. It teared me up all over again.

"Master should go to bed", the houseelf said quietly and I stopped crying in order to understand him. "Master Harry must go to bed." With his elf magic, he levitated me and slowly walked out of the room. "Master must not be concerned", the elf continued as he transported me to a guest room. I didn't know he was this thoughtful and promised myself to remember this for later references. "Kreacher will take care of the room. You should rest untill you feel better. Then call me."

We reacher the room and Kreacher manoevered me in. I saw that the bed was freshly made and that all my clothes lay on a small table at the far end of the room, all neatly folded. I didn't know what to say and the house-elf gently ended the spell. I sighed when I fell on the soft bed, bouncing slightly off again. I rubbed my eyes when Kreacher spoke again.

"If Master needs something, he just has to call."

"Thank you very much, Kreacher."

I smiled slightly at the house-elf who started to grumble something about half-bloods and I chuckled darkly. I had come to expect this kind of behaviour from my house-elf and knew that he didn't really mean it.

"Kreacher", I called when he turned to leave. He looked at me expectantly. "You may take something out of Regulus's room. I am very thankful for your assistance."

The elf teared up and I managed to smile at him warmly. He bowed deeply before me.

"Thank you, Master Harry", he said and then left me alone, closing the door behind him. As soon as he was gone I started crying again. What had I done wrong that Ginny hated me so much? I hadn't wanted any of the things she accused me of to happen for God's sake. I had suffered, too, with all those deaths on my conciousness, but she didn't see it. Was I that good at keeping a mask in place all the time?

I didn't know when, but that night I cried myself to sleep.

* * *

Hermione came by the next day and when I opened the door, she looked at me frostily. I casted her a questioning look but she ignored and stomped past me into the hall. I sighed and closed the door, looking at the painting of Mrs Black as though she might start screaming at any second now. A cough caught my attention and I turned to my best female friend. She looked at me as if I was the most disgusting being in existence.

"Of all the things I know about you, unfaithfulness wasn't one of them. I'm disgusted, Harry Potter. Disgusted with _you_!" I gaped at her.

"I beg your pardon?"

"You heard correctly", she said with venom in her voice. "Don't play dumb. Ginny told us what happened."

"And what exactly did she tell you?"

"That she come from shopping and saw you fucking with some chick in both _your_ bed. That you threw her out when she tried to talk to you about it. When she demanded answers and you said _'I'm Harry Potter! I'm the Boy-Who-Lived! I can fuck whomever I like, so shut up, woman!'. _Oh don't try the idiot part on me, Harry Potter. How could you?!"

"First of all", I said rather loudly so that she would hear me clearly. "_I _catched _her _cheating in our bed with some stranger I don't know and now she goes and tells you something completely different? Come on, Hermione, do you really believe I'm that kind of person?"

"You cut her hair", she reminded me. "With a curse. How could you do this to her?! You threw her on the street naked! If she hadn't been able to apparate immediately, she would have been seen by everyone! What were you thinking?!"

"What I was thinking? What I was thinking?!", I became aggravated and because she knew me, she backed away from me a little. "What I thought was that I wanted that traitorous, cheating whore out of my house!" Hermione regarded me, a cold look in her eyes. Then she sneered.

"Fuck you, Harry Potter. You've done it. I want nothing to do with you anymore. To throw your fiancée out of your house because she caught you cheating on her ... that's low. No, it's more than that, it's pityful." She rushed past me and went for the door. I turned around as quickly as I could and looked at her desperately.

"'Mione", I started. "You have to believe me! She was the one-"

"Save the lies for someone else, for I will have none of them. Farewell, Mr. Potter. May you rot in Hell!" With that, she opened the door, got out and slammed it shut, not looking at me once. I stood there for almost ten minutes, just staring at the door. Did Hermione, the intelligent, always calculating Hermione didn't even hear me out? What was wrong with her? Didn't she see the state he was in? Would he have been crying his eyes out all night if he really had thrown out his fiancée because she had caught him cheating on her?

Tears gathered in my eyes again. I had been sure that she of all people would see reason and support me in my decision. I couldn't believe she was the first one to give me a piece of her mind. What was going to happen now? Would the others come too, and, told lies from Ginny, lash out at me for something I didn't do?

I didn't know how I managed to get back into bed, but I did. As soon as I lay down on it, I started crying again. I remembered all the good and bad things I had gone through with Hermione by my side and the thought of her never going to talk to me cut through the remains of my already shattered heart like a knife. Was this it? Would I lose all my friends and my surrogate family just because of a stupid lying whore that didn't have the guts to tell her parents the truth?

I sobbed harder. I knew that life was a bitch, but this one was a low blow, even for her. I just hoped that it would be over soon.

* * *

I didn't remember the days after not that good because I was always either crying or sleeping. I had nightmares. I dreamt about Ron coming to me and telling me that he didn't want to be friends with me anymore and that he was here not only to tell me this, but to ensure that I wouldn't hurt any other woman like I had hurt his sister. He then sported a knife and with a flick of his wand, bound me to a chair. I watched in horror as he opened my trousers, ripping them to pieces and bringing the knife over my shaft still concealed by my boxer shorts. Before he could cut through them, though, I awoke with a scream and breathed heavily. I was scared for two weeks afterwards.

Except for Hermione, no one came and I lost all hope that someone was on my side of the whole story. But, I thought bitterly, it had been pretty clear that something like this would happen. As the only girl in the Weasley household, Ginny had all the men in the family wrapped around her little finger. If she told them to go and kill me, I was sure, they would comply without so much as an argument.

I sighed deeply when I thought about the year that had followed and got out of my bath. My skin tingled from the heat of the water and dried myself carefully while draining the tube. I remebered the romantic night I had shared here with Ginny, but instead of tearing me up, these thoughts now only left a bitter taste in my mouth.

Ginny had managed to convince her whole family of my 'unfaithfulness' and my reaction afterwards and they were literally out for my blood. I had to resign from the Auror Departement because Ron kept looking at me as though he wanted to tear my intestin out and wear it like a necklace. I didn't know what to say to him to convince him of my innocence, so I kept quiet and ignored him. I managed for three weeks before I had had enough. When I resigned, Kingsley didn't even acknowledge me. For him, too, I was a cheater and I sighed in frustration. How many people were convinced that Ginny was the mighty damsel in distress and I the evil Lord that held her captive?

Almost all of my friends were avoiding me now, even Luna didn't talk to me. I tried to get one of them to speak with me, but after some time, I just gave up. I was tired of trying to reach someone and started to care less about them. To hell with them all. That's what I said to myself at the day, but when I was in my bed, I dreamed of the happier times with my friends and always awoke, crying like a small child. Oh, how desperately I needed someone who believed my side of the story to be true!

I sighed when I thought about the dreams and looked for a clean clothes in the corner. My hair was already drying, so I didn't bother with it too much. When I changed into the clothes, I thought about what my life would be like in the future and scwoled darkly when I couldn't think of anything. I ran my fingers through my hair in frustration and opened the bathroom door, ready to step out. I went to my room, the former guest room, and when I went in, I already smelled my breakfast. It was a strawberry omelette with icecream and I managed a smirk at the sight. Kreacher certainly knew how to cheer me up.

I sat down at the table and started eating. I hadn't realized how hungry I was. While I munched on one piece, I turned around and looked at my clock. 6:01. Had I really been bathing for more than two hours? I looked at my hands and really, they were all wrinkled up from the moisture. I promised myself not to lose track of time so easily again and continued eating. When I was halfway through, Kreacher appeared in front of me and gave me an issue of the _Daily Telegraph_.

"The newspaper, Master Harry", he stated and I nodded in acknowledgement.

"Thank you, Kreacher." He bowed and left. I ate further and looked at the headline of the paper. I nearly chocked though and had to cease eating to get a good look at the front page.

I started laughing.

On the front page, I saw myself looking grimly at the reader. Above was the headline: **Boy-Who-Lived Dark Lord Wannabe? **After everything, they couldn't come up with something new? Come on, Ginny, you can do better than that.

I still laughed, but it wasn't cheerful. I laughed bitterly and threw the paper away, just like I did with the rest of my breakfast. How did it come so far?

The third month after I threw Ginny out, she started telling lies about me, how I always read books about the Dark Arts and had a shrine of Voldemort built in the corner of my library. Or how I had used the Cruciatus Curse on her because she disobeyed one of my orders. Or how I had gotten mad at her because she didn't look like I wanted. Ginny came up with some serious shit and I had to give her credit for her imagination.

I really didn't care that she told lies to her friends about me, but when she, with the help of Hermione I presume, got in contact with Rita Skeeter, all things went downhill. Ever since then, my picture was on every front cover of the _Telegraph _and I was bombarded with hate-mail from so many people that I had to use a charm so that the owls couldn't track me anymore.

I sighed and shot a look at the paper again. When was this going to end? When I finally admited to something I never did? But even if I did so, would my friends start to talk to me again? Unlikely so. But I really needed someone to talk to, or even another presence in the same room with me. Kreacher was nice, but after some time he started rambling to himself how great his Mistress and Master Regulus had been and how bad Beaver-Girl (Hermione), Bloodtraitor (Ron) and Miss Whore (Ginny) had been to me.

I craved contact in any form, but I knew that I wouldn't get that wish fulfilled anytime soon. Ginny had managed to convince everyone that I was a cheating, lying coward. I really considered leaving the country after a while, but I knew that wouldn't change anything. I was Harry _bloody_ Potter after all!

When would I finally be able to find the courage to end my misery? Not bloody likely. After so many people had died for me, I couldn't just throw away their gift because I was in a bad situation. I had to fight, stay true to myself and value their sacrifices. But it was so hard, oh so hard. I didn't know how much longer I would be able to take this shit.

I sighed loudly and got up. I went to my room, closed the door and fell down on my bed, exhausted already from the day. Because of my constant high stress level, I had gotten rather thin and unkept, although I bathed almost every day. I sighed again, graped the sheets and pulled them over my body. I drifted into sleep soon after I closed my eyes.

* * *

_i was walking down a green lawn, taking in the sight of flowers I had never seen. The sun shone brightly above me in the bluest sky and the air was fresh. How long had it been that I had gone outside? To long, probably. _

_I walked around a little bit and looked at all the beauty nature could provide. I sighed softly when I saw small animal families running through the grass in search of food, or teaching their newborns about life. That was how a life was supposed to be. Growing up with a loving family, then learning how to live on your own, then marriage, offspring and then, finally, death. _

_"This is Life", a voice suddenly said behind me and I turned around, but saw nothing._

_"Where are you?"_

_"I am everywhere and nowhere in this world. I am Life and Nature. You may call me Eonar."_

_"Eonar", I tested the unfamiliar name on my tongue. "What do you want from me? Why am I here?"_

_"Do not rush things, child", the soft voice said. I suddenly felt as if a boy that was hugged by his mother. "I will explain in time, but first, I want to show you something. Please, close your eyes." Surprisingly I did as she told and soon I felt something in my mind. _

_If was like a soft knock on a door, nothing like the Occlumency lessons with Snape. I shuddered at the thought of those lessons and the presence disappeared. _

_"I am sorry", Eonar said again. "I did not know that you had bad experiences with mind readers. I shall show you in another way. Open your eyes." As soon as I did, I saw what she wanted to show me and cried out, a hand muffling my scream as tears ran down my cheeks. _

_A burning village._

_An army of undead zombies walking after a dark figure. _

_A man, clad in black armor with a soft blue glow to his eyes, so frightingly powerful that, compared to him, Voldemort was nothing._

_A green skinned creature, casting some sort of spell to heal the world._

_A red dragon, sacrificing his life to protect all life in this world ... and his lover._

_A beautiful constelation of two moons, one white, one blue, the blue one 'embracing' the white one. _

_A burning city full of fair-skinned beautiful creatures, littering the streets and covering them in blood._

_A man, torn apart by a spell, not knowing how to put himself back together._

_A black huge dragon flying over the world, warking havoc where ever he went._

_A portal glimmering with green light._

_A woman crying tears, making fruitless earth blossom where they drop._

_And finally ... the end. Nothing alive, no element, no flower, no dragon, no human, no creature, no ... anything. _

_I choked and sobbed, dropping to my knees. It was so sad!_

_"So much life, taken just like that", I whispered and felt the presence prod at my mind again, soothing it. I felt better after a while and took in a deep breath. "What was this?"_

_"This is a world I once lived in", the voice said. "It is one of many, and I took part in forming them all."_

_"Even mine?", I asked and the voice chuckled. _

_"Even yours."_

_"Wow", I said. I didn't know what to make of this, but the soothing thoughts against the corners of my mind felt good. I sighed deeply. "What happens now?"_

_"The pictures I showed you ... It was a test. I wanted to see if you were as compassionate as I thaught you were, and I was not let down."_

_"A test?"_

_"Yes, child. To see if you would fit in there, in this world I showed you."_

_"What do you mean? I, fitting in this other world?"_

_"Yes", the voice said, a hint of sadness within it. "You were deprived of love as a child, as a teenager. When you thought you had finally found it, your heart was shattered like never before. Yet you hold enough love in the remaining pieces to care about another being. You are very admireable, Harry Potter. Very much so."_

_I flushed bright scarlet, not used to hear compliments anymore. The voice laughed slightly._

_"There is no need to get embarrased over this, child."_

_"I'm sorry", I said, scratching the back of my head awkwardly. "I'm not used to compliments ..."_

_"Do not fret over something so insicnificant", the voice sounded amused but turned serious again. "I shall send you to this world, where you may be able to start anew."_

_"Whoa, wait a minute. What do you mean, you send me there?"_

_"I shall give you a second chance at life, Harry. You are compassionate and care for another life, something that is terrible missing in so many people. You should be rewarded for feeling something so wonderful."_

_"Oh ... okay ..."_

_"I see you still do not understand", the voice sighed. "I know from investigating you that you can be rather stubborn. So I'm just going to show you."_

_With that, a blinding white light suddenly appeared before my eyes, and before I could even close them, the light took a hold of me an dragged me into a tiny little image hovering in thin air. It looked like a city from the middle age with a great big citadel in the centre, a castle on the right side and a big harbor on the left side. He was dragged inside the image faster and faster and just when he was about to think he was just going through it, he was practically squeezed inside. He heard Eonar's voice before he fell into a stream of different colors._

_"Please, Harry, go and make a difference in this world. I know you can do it!"_

* * *

_Please, tell me what you think, tell me what you think! _

_Everyone who now can guess the second fandom gets a cookie, because the next chapter contains the name of the world and I rather have you try and figure it out :D_

_I know, I'm evil._

_I'm in need of a beta. If someone is interested, just write me :D_

_Alaythassa_


	2. Waking Up In A Strange New World

_Hey guys!_

_This story just won't leave me alone. I'm dead tired right now, but I feel like I have to write this chapter as fast as I can or I'll go insane. Well, who cares :D_

_Thank you for following and reviewing this story **sarah-rose76646, bholi **and **917brat**._

_I also saw that my story is already published in **three **communities. I can't tell you how happy this makes me. You should have seen my collagues at work this morning ^^_

_One thing **sarah-rose76646** told me in her review: Yes, I know it sounds pretty bad unrealistic that people are believing Ginny without a shred of evidence, yet I know this can happen, even in the real world. I have been on the receiving ends of such a treatment myself and can tell you that it can even get worse. In my case, I even started to question my own memory._

_Well, enough of this. I'm rather sad that nobody took a guess at the second fandom. You're all lazy, you know? :D I think it isn't the best idea to insult your readers: I take it back ... :D_

_Disclaimer: The Harry Potter series belongs to Joanne K. Rowling and Bloomsbury. The game World of Warcraft belongs to Blizzard Entertainment, although I pay for it every month :D_

_Enjoy and don't be too hard on me, okay?_

* * *

_**Waking Up In A Strange New World**_

Blinding coloful light surrounded me and seemed to wosh past me as I floated through a corridor like passage. The colors were so intense I could see them even with my eyes closed. What was happening?, I asked myself more times than once, but for the life of it: I couldn't come up with an answer. Why had I met this strange Eonar? Who was she? I felt that my floating increased into falling and a sudden panic filled me. What if there was a ground? What if I died?

A warmness suddenly enveloped me, feeling like soft as touch and light as a feather. I felt like ... I was going someplace good. Someplace where I would be liked for who I was, not what I was supposed to be. A place where I could start anew.

Suddenly the feeling of falling down increased and I opened my mouth in a silent scream. The warmth was still with me, but even that couldn't surpress my sudden fear of death. I silently counted down to ten, thinking that if I was done, I would impact on the ground and die. Instead, I became sleepier with every number I counted. When I was at nine, I felt the sudden blankness of sleep envelope me and didn't fight it anymore. I suddenly knew that whatever was going to happen would be not that bad.

* * *

The next time I opened my eyes I was lying in a soft bed with warm blankets covering my body. I blinked around, confused as of my surroundings, but then it all came back to me. The dream ... had it been real? Was I really in another world? To confirm this, I sat up slowly, carefully observing everything my gaze fell on. I was on the bed in the middle of the room which seemed to be made of fine wood. At the other side of the room was an open doorway that appeared to lead towards a staircase. Next to the open door on the right side was a large dresser, probably filled with clothes. Onthe left stood several bookcases, all of the high and filled with books of all sizes. There was no window in the room and I felt uncomfortable about this somehow. Next to the bed on either side stood nighttables and on the right one rested a glass of water and a book. When I looked at the title, my confusion only grew. I couldn't read it, but it intrigued me to know what was written there. I sighed. I would have to get my wand and cast a translation spell.

That was when realization hit me. I didn't have my wand on me because when I went to sleep, I put in on my own nighttable next to my clock. I hadn't thought I needed it because I had put up several more security spells around my house to insure my safety. Yes, I got a bit paranoid, but who isn't these days?

But because of my carelessness I now had no possibility to defend myself if I needed to. I had teached myself to perform wandless magic in this last year of my life, but I wasn't nearly as good as I would have hoped. And I felt rather ... naked without the wand that had saved my life on so many occasions. I sighed in frustration and ran my hands through my hair. I tugged at the black locks and the slight pain helped me think. I couldn't even imagine what was going to happen next and I wanted to be prepared for every case.

I slowly stood up and made my way to the dresser, opening it. It was filled with robes in blue, red and purple, the last ones looking rather expensive. They all had a common quality as if made by the same person and I couldn't help but stare at the fine handiwork. Not even the best wizard with the best spell could make them so good. I had seen this first hand when I had once visited Diagon Alley and talked to Madame Malkins.

I looked around the dresser, noting the fresh parchment and ink bottles on the ground. They stood next to a pair of dress shoes, an unlit lamp and various sorts of plump bags. It smeeled of mahagony and cinnamon in the dresser and I slowly closed the doors, knowing that I wasn't going to get any information as to where I was right now from them. Then I looked at the nightstand with the glass of water on it and went over. I snatched the glass carefully, observing it in my hands. I was rather dirty or not well crafted, because I could barely see through it. The glasses in Grimmauld Place were always shining like newly bought and I came to the embarassing situation that I had taken this for granted.

I sighed, sat the glass down again and made myself comfortable on the bed again. I still wore the clothes I had changed in after the bath and I desperately wanted to get out of them. Because of the warm blanket, I had been sweating very much and now they stuck to my body as if they were a second skin.

I was just thinking about getting up and looking for a bathroom when I heard a voice coming from the direction of the doorway. I immediately went back under the covers and as I did so, a woman strode into the room. She had a rather confident pace and looked as if she was completely sure what she was doing.

She was a blonde and wore her hair in a high ponytail, sporting a pair of blue-green eyes. She had a slightly rounded face and full pink lips, a small nose and several freckles on her cheeks. She wore a long blue robe that made her eyes stand out like two saphires in the sun and white linen shoes that looked rather comfortable. There also was a tabard wrapped around her tall but well-built body, showing the outlines of a lionhead in yellow on a blue ground. She seemed rather happy and when she looked at him he didn't pretend to be asleep. He somehow knew that she was a person you didn't screw with. The smile she cast at him was worth it. She reminded him of Fleur, actually.

"Deo Gratias [1]", she said in a melodic voice and I blinked. I didn't know this languade. To emphasize my point I tilted my head to the side, blinking in confusion. She looked at me for a few moments before she understood and smiled. She held her hand up and pointed at the water and then at me. When I returned the gesture, she smiled again and I couldn't help but smile back. I graped the glass and swallowed it's whole content at once. I coughed a little, but I instantly felt that my throat wasn't as dry as before and I could make a sound now.

"Hello", I said and she looked at me, then lifted her hands in a gesture of incomprehension. I nodded and sighed. "Harry", I felt a little bit stupid doing this right now, but I had no choice. I pointed at myself and repeated my name to her. "Harry."

She looked, then she slowly nodded and pointed at me. "Harry." I nodded, too. She smiled yet again.

"Fala", she pointed at herself. "Fala."

"Fala", I said and bowed slightly before me. My face flushed and she laughed. Then she came over to me, taking the covers away slightly. She gazed me up and down, obviously searching for something, before she shook her head and backed away from me again.

We talked through gestures and mimic for good half an hour, during which she sat down next to me on my bed. I tried to tell her that I came from another world, but because I couldn't just tell her, it was rather dificult. She seemed to understand me, though, and smiled at me the whole time. She probably was one of these ever optimistic persons, never stopping to believe in the good things that happened. I sighed slightly and wished I was a little bit more like her.

Just as I was trying to explain to her how I got here, which she didn't understand of course, I heard another voice from the doorway. Footsteps were heard and out of the corner of my eye, I saw a person approach the room I was in. She was female, that much I could tell from her voice, and somehow she sounded familiar. I thought I was prepared for her sight and turned around, facing her. When my eyes met her, though, I couldn't help the shock that overcame me.

It was Hermione.

She wore the same robes as Fala, with blue linen shoes on her feet and was slightly taller than the last time I had seen her. Furthermore her hips were a little broader and her hair was cut in a nice bob that made her rather handsome. When she her gaze met mine, I couldn't help the gasp that escaped me as she looked at me with a mixture of warmth and interest.

Fala got up from the bed as soon as Hermione entered and strode towards her. The both of them talked in the strange language I didn't really understand, but that had a few words similar to English. The obviously discussed me and my inability to talk in their tongue, because they kept shooting confused glances at me. Then, all of a sudden, Hermione waved her hand at me, a strange light glowing in her palm. I felt as though the light was slowly forcing its way inside me and groaned as I felt it. It was warm and soothing and when it proded against the corner of my mind, I gladly took it in. Forgotten was my fear of mind reading at this moment.

Hermione seemed to be sattisfied with her work. She turned to Fala and smiled slightly at her. I was confused as to what she had done with me, but when she spoke again I understood. Her and the odd thing she had done.

"I have a message from Master Klevius for you, Fala", Hermione said in a voice that was so much softer than normal. "He is in dire need of your assistance with the portal. Don't worry about our guest. I will take care of him."

Fala nodded and casted me a glance. "Does he understand now?"

"I'm sure he does", the brownhaired girl grinned at me. "I think he's just too polite to interrupt our conversation." My face, which flushed a deep red, gave me away and Fala laughed loudly.

"Well then", she said, turning towards the door. "I will leave him in your capable hands then. If you need assistance, just call me. I would be all to happy to provide it." She winked at me which made my blush deepen even more and left. Hermione looked at me and continued grining, then waving her hand. A chair appeared out of thin air and she sat down, facing the bed and me on it. She suddenly became very serious and I gulped. This was more the Hermione that I knew. Ready to hear another of her lectures about my unfaithfulness I was utterly confused when she asked me her first question.

"Who are you?"

I couldn't help but gape at her yet again. "Erm ... I'm sorry, I didn't quite hear that. What did you say?"

"Who are you?", she repeated patiently, folding her arms before her chest. I sighed.

"This is not funny, you know?"

"I don't know you", her voice was laced with confusion and a slight hint of suspicion. I didn't understand what she meant.

"What do you mean, you don't know me? We went to school together, remember?"

"I have never been in school with you", she said. "I have been studying magic in this tower since I was five years old, and we never had an apprentice who looked anything like you. So I ask again: Who are you?" I couldn't understand. This was Hermione. Had she been sent here by Eonar too to mock me? No, I was sure Eonar wouldn't do such a thing to me. What had she said again? To give me a fresh start, a second ... chance ...

That's when it hit me. This Hermione in front of me and the Hermione I knew were two different women! Of course! I was in another world, and no one had said that there couldn't exist other versions of yourself in other worlds. Hermione must have felt that I came to a realization for she waited patiently for me to explain. I gazed at her sheepishly and grinned slightly in embarassment.

"I'm sorry", I said again. "I only now came to a conclusion. I'm Harry, Harry Potter."

"Hermione Granger", she offered me her hand and I shook it. I could sense the magic just beneath the skin of her palm, ready to strike in case of danger. "Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you, too."

"So, what conclusion came you up with?", she was a little bit impatient, but I knew she kept it together for my sake. She probably didn't want me to freak out or something.

"Well, my theory is rather ... how do I put it ... unusual. You see, I don't think this situation hasn't happened to anyone yet", I drew a deep breath and started to explain. "You see, I think I'm not of this world."

"Not of this world?", she suddenly sounded interested. "As in, you travelled to _this _world? How did you do that? Did you use the Dark Portal? Does your world has a similar contraction? Do you think-"

"Whoa, wait a minute", I grinned. "Don't forget to breath."

"I won't", she took a few breaths. "I'm sorry I got carried away. Please, continue."

"Ok. So, if my theory is true, then there are a lot of worlds that always contain the same people somewhere within it. There actually is already proof of that." She observed me and I saw she understood what I was trying to say.

"You know another version of me, the version of me that lives in your world."

"Yes, I do. You are ... _were_ a really good friend of mine."

"Were?", she asked and I avoided her gaze. I didn't really want to talk about it right now. She was of course intrigued, but let it slide for now. Instead she looked me over once more. "You are a mage?"

"Yes", I answered immediately. "Well, not exactly a mage. We use the term 'wizard'. There are a lot of us in my world, but we live hidden in the dark as not to interfere with the normal people, whom we call 'muggles'. These are the people that know nothing about magic."

"I see", she said, slightly taken aback. "In our world, magic is not a secret. We even have Orders like the Kirin Tor that investigate it. They are rather renowned."

"You mean you don't have to hide your existence and worry about normal people to witness you when you perform magic?", I was taken aback as well. "Wow."

"Yeah", she smiled at me again. "Your theory would explain a lot to be honest. Your inability to speak our language, Common, your small stature-"

"I'm not small!", I said, but she ignored me.

"-the fact that you are not known around here, and that you know another version of myself", she massaged her temple. "I've never heard of something like this, but it makes sense." She suddenly stood up apruptly and looked at me. "Or you could be a spy from one of the other magic organisations, trying to steal information from our tower."

"Tower?", I quirked. She raised an eyesbrow.

"Yes, tower", she said. "You are currently in the Magician's Tower in Stormwind City, in the world of Azeroth." I looked at her as though I had seen a ghost.

"So it's true!", I said and started chuckling. "It's true!", my laughter turned into hysteric hiccups and Hermione oberserved me patiently untill I grew quiet again.

"Wow", I managed to whisper before suddenly everything went black.

* * *

As I came to again, I slowly opened my eyes and looked around me. Hermione was still in the room, but she was not alone. Behind her stood Fala, looking at me with deep concern in her eyes. Next to her stood a bald man in the same robes as the two women with the same tabard wrapped around his frame. He was thin and rather small, but so intimidating that I immediately respected him. In one of his hands, he held a rather large book which was opened in the middle, in the other he waved a rod made of bronze. He seemed to read something in the book because when I sat up, he just shook his head.

"One more minute", he said, muttering quietly under his breath. I didn't know what to do exactly, so I stayed where I was and waited as patiently as I could. Soon, the man was ready, speaking some kind of incantation and pointing the rod at me. Perhaps they served this people here as wands, I wasn't sure. When the rod suddenly started to glow in a soft purple, I was about to jump out of the bed and get away from it, but a look from Hermione held me where I was.

The purple light slightly pulsated, then it dissolved from the rod and began to swirl into my direction. When it reached me, I was about to scream, but I sensed no threat and managed to relax. The light enveloped me, hovered just above my skin and then vanished. The man was obviously pleased with his work for he closed his book, sat it on the right nighttable and conjured himself a chair of his own. When he sat down, Fala did the same, and all three of them soon sat in front of the doorway, facing me with interest and slight mistrust. They were trying to figure out if I was telling the truth.

"First of all", the man said. "What is your name, child?"

"Harry Potter, sir."

"Ah, I see", he nodded slowly. "You may adress me as Klevius. I am the high mage here in the Magician's Tower and I have to say, when you dropped from the sky it was me who managed to slow down your fall."

"So I really fell?", I murmured quietly. "I thought it was just a dream."

"Please, child", Klevius opened a parchment on his knees and took a quill into his hand. "Begin your tale."

"Well, I went to bed after a rough morning", I started, looking at Klevius as he carefully wrote down everything I said. "It was just like any other day in my life, you know. Peaceful and quiet. Perhaps a bit too quiet for my liking. So, I slept, and then I had a dream. I saw a meadow with flowers blooming and animals running around. And then I heard a voice."

"What kind of voice?"

"It was the voice of a female, I suppose, I didn't really see her. She told me she was Life and Nature and that she took pity on me. You see, I haven't led an easy life recently. I was rather chaotic and quite a few friends left me to take care of my problems alone."

"So she took pity on you", the old mage made a note on his parchment. I nodded.

"She told me she wanted me to have a second chance in life because I'm a compessionate being. That's what she said. Then some kind of light dragged me towards a projection of a city and I suddenly found myself in a stream made of colorful light. I floated there, but then I suddenly began to fall and in the middle of it, I suddenly fell asleep."

"Do you know the name of the voice?"

"Yes", I thought about the name that would probably hount me for the rest of my stay here. "She called herself Eonar." Klevius sucked in a breath and startled me. Not only me, but his two companions as well. When he finally composed himself, he stared at me with some kind of envy in his eyes.

"You're really lucky, young man."

"How so?", I was confused.

"Yes, how so, Master?", the two woman asked in unison. I was strangely reminded of the Weasley twins but kept quiet. Klevius gaze left me and he looked at his notes.

"It seems that you were sought out by one of the Titans", he whispered and now the other two sucked in their breaths as well.

"Wow", Hermione finally said in awe and stared at me. "You really are lucky. To have come into contact with on of the Titans ..." I tilted my head in confusion.

"Titans ...?"

"Yes", Klevius said. "Eonar, the Lifebinder is the Titan with the power over Life and Nature. She is the Queen of the Titans and one of the highest in their ranks. A lot of people would like to see her even once in their lives, but because the Titans left Azeroth almost 64,000 years ago, no one deemed it possible to even come upon one of them. Well, untill today, that is."

"Oh", I said and looked down at my hands. Again something completely impossible had happened around me and I hadn't known about it. Man, was I dumb.

"Don't beat yourself up over this", Fala said soothingly. "A lot of people don't even know about the Titans. You have nothing to worry about, Harry."

"Probably", I said. "But I was sought out by one of them and then send here. How could I not have felt how powerful she was?"

"Perhaps she was so powerful", Hermione offered. "That you weren't able to feel her at all. There are a few creatures in this world that have the same effect on them, like the Aspects."

"The Aspects?", I asked and before Hermione could explain, she was interrupted by her master.

"Hermione", he said. "You can tell him about our world soon enough. For now, let him rest." The brownhaired woman nodded, got up and vanished her chair. Fala did the same and the two bid their goodbye before they went through the doorway and down the stairs. Klevius stayed behind.

"You passed", he said suddenly after a moment of silence between us and I almost jumped.

"What?", I croaked.

"The spell I used on you earlier would have showed me if you told any lies. So either you are telling the truth, or you tell what _you think _is the truth."

"So you tested me", somehow, I wasn't angry. I was just tired all of a sudden and wanted nothing but go to sleep. Klevius seemed to sense my tiredness.

"You passed", he said again. "I feel that you have magic within you, raw and somewhat untamed. If you want, you can stay here in this tower and learn how to use it, how to controll it. With your amount of power, you could even become a member of the Kirin Tor", he ran a hand over his balding head. "It would sure be nice to have a male apprentice for once."

He winked at me and I grinned, gave my consent to think about it and he left. I felt so tired although I hadn't done anything in particular today. I thought about the offer, and about what Eonar had told me. My second chance ... perhaps this was it. This was my chance of a quiet, peaceful life. Here in this world nobody knew me and I could finally live as Harry, not as Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived. I could finally escape the Hell my life had recently become.

I made my decision and before my head even hit the pillow, I was already asleep.

* * *

_I'm sorry that this chapter is shorter than the former, but I really have to go to bed now :D_

_I have work tomorrow and yada yada real life yada yada. You get the hint, right?_

_Information: According to WoW Wikia, Common is a language spoken my most of the Alliance. It has some English, Welsh and Latin influences._

_[1] = Deo Gratias: Thank God in Common  
_

_I hope you liked the chapter so far. I will try to upload on the next one on Saturday, but I won't make any promises. _

_I still need a beta. Help!_

_Read and Review, please :D_

_Alaythassa_


	3. Azeroth

_Hey guys!_

_Sorry for the delay. I had to help my mom clean the house and then I had a serious headache!_

_Thank you for all the nice reviews and all the follows. I wouldn't have thought that this idea of mine could be so well received. _

_In this chapter, I'm going to explain Azeroth as good as I can. I'm a player myself, but I don't really have that much Alliance characters. Well, time to change that, no?_

_Still in need of a beta._

* * *

_**Azeroth **_

I was woken up the next day, still thinking all that had happened was dream. But when I opened my eyes and saw Hermione staring down at me, grinning like a maniac, I knew it was all true.

"Come one", she urged me and I sat up. "Master Klevius told me to show you the city today and explain a few things along the way", she held a package under my nose. "He gave me a robe for you to wear and a wand. It's all in this package." When I nodded, my brain still fogged from the sleep, she smiled and put the package on the night table closest to the open door. Then she nodded to herself and left the room with a bright "See you in 15 minutes!".

I couldn't help but stare at her retreating back. Where was I supposed to change in this all to open room? I sighed deeply, pulled back the covers and got up. I eyed the package curiously and slowly pulled it open. It contained a blue robe in the same shade Hermione and Fala were wearing, a wand and a small backpack. I took the robe and held it in front of me, seeing if it would even fit me. It certainly did. As soon as I was sure that nobody would see me, I moved somewhat behind the bed and started to strip. My pajama was rather sweaty and I had to remember to ask Hermione where I could wash them. I neatly folded them and put them on the bed, then took the robe and pulled it over my head. It was a little rough to my skin but mysteriously fit me perfectly. I looked at myself and had to say that it was rather comfortable. The robe was cut so that I could freely walk and run. It was better than the robes we had in the magical world and for a brief second, I thought about the differences between this world and mine. Then I shook my head. Thinking about my own world would do me no good as I wasn't sure if I could ever go there again.

When I was finally fully dressed, backpack and all, I walked to the doorway and went down the stairs. This was the first time I saw this area, so I looked around curiously. The one who had built all this sure knew his work as it looked intimidating and inviting at the same time. For me, it provided some sort of comfort. It reminded me of Hogwarts.

My way took me to a purple portal like thing. It looked rather stunning, although it felt just like the veil in the Department of Mysteries. Perhaps, I thought, Sirius was somewhere in this world ... but no, that couldn't be. Sirius was dead. I had seen him when I had used the Resurrection Stone in the Forbidden Forest and I should have known better. I sighed. I missed him.

The purple mist the portal was made of was suddenly pulsating and not a moment later, Master Klevius stept through. He held several rolls of parchment in one hand and a long rod in the other. He looked slightly out of breath. When his gaze fell on me, he raised an eyebrow.

"I was under the impression you were already gone and exploring the city with Hermione", he said, then shook his head. "It seems I was mistaken."

"I'm sorry", I apologized. "I wasn't sure if I could go through this portal just like that. We do have something that looks like it in our world, too, but it kills people."

"Oh", Master Klevius looked at the portal and then back at. "Do not worry, young man. You can just step through this ... how should I call it ... _curtain_. It just acts as a portal if one uses it as such."

"So, in other words ... if I just go through this, I won't be transported somewhere else by mistake?"

"Yes", Master Klevius looked at an hourglass which contained purple sand that was falling not down, but up. "But now you must excuse me. I need to talk to High Sorcerer Andromath and discuss the unusual circumstances of your arrival in our world." With that, he casted a last look at me, stepped towards a staircase and was gone. I looked after him for a moment, before I turned around and carefully reached out to the purple mist. It didn't pulsate like when Klevius stepped through and it felt like the barrier at King's Cross.

_I should just walk through_, I thought, breathing in deeply, before putting my hand towards the mist. When it just went through and didn't get ripped off like I first thought, I took a step and soon was on the other side. The way that was before me now didn't have stairs. I wound itself down towards the exit in a spiral and I could see a little light if I looked around the corner.

Slowly I walked down towards the exit, already hearing the noises of the outside world. There were people's voices discussing the newest magical theories, birds chirping and a trader shouting out his goods. I suddenly felt anxious and slightly nervous to go out, but breathed in deeply and tried to calm myself. Would it be obvious for everyone that I was an outsider, a stranger to this world? Would people see it immediately? But I shouldn't have bothered.

When I finally stepped out, nobody so much as looked at me as I walked down the spiral way that wound itself around the base of the tower. I saw that the tower stood in a green park, flanked by apple trees. There were several shops at the edge of the park, some of them open, most of them not. A lot of students sat on the ground around the tower, eating lunch and having heated discussions with their friends. As I reached the ground, I could hear some words the two girls next to me talked about.

"I tell you, the Kirin Tor are the best of the best. If I can make it to Dalaran and take the magic test there, I'm in."

"But Stormwind isn't so bad", her companion said, looking down. The other one sighed.

"I know, but Stormwind has only restricted magical research. In Dalaran, I would be able to read as much as I want and to learn everything there is to know about magic. If-"

I couldn't hear anymore, as I walked away. Nobody had noticed my little eavesdropping and I sighed in relief. That's when I remembered that Hermione wanted to meet me and I looked around expectantly. I spotted her next to a tall red haired man, talking animatedly. I did a double-take as I finally realized whom she was talking to.

Ron.

Okay, now I was really creeped out. It appeared that not only Hermione had an alternate self in this world, but Ron as well. Now new questions arose. How could this be possible? Were the alternate selves the same as the ones from my world? And did everyone from my world have an alternate self here? I was still deeply in thought when Hermione spotted me.

"Harry", she yelled. "Come over here!" As I did so, she smiled at me and looked at me expectantly. "Harry, this is Ron, my boyfriend. Ron, this is Harry, the boy from the other world I told you about."

"Hey there, mate", Ron said, acting just like the one from my world. "What's up?"

I couldn't help but feel at home at his open display of friendship. After the fiasco that was Ginny, my Ron hadn't had so much as thought about me in a nice way. I often had had nightmares where he would do crazy things to me in his fit of rage.

"Hey", I said, smiling brightly. "I'm Harry Potter, but the everyone calls me Harry."

"Nice meeting you", Ron looked at her Hermione. "So, you wanted us to show him the city and tell him about this world?"

"Yes."

"Okay", Ron grinned. "Should I show him my abilities?"

"If you want."

"Good, look here, mate", Ron looked at me while he pointed at himself. "Look at my awesomeness!"

He channeled a soft golden light in his hands and then thrust his arms towards the sky. All of a sudden I felt really good. It was like I could run a few miles and not break a sweat. When I looked down at myself, I saw that thin stripes of glowing golden light were swirling around my body. I watched as they faded into nothingness and the feeling passed.

"Not so bad, huh?", the redhead grinned like a maniac. "I'm a Priest, specialized in Discipline. I heal people with Holy Magic and with shields which absorb a certain amount of damage."

"In other words he is the one who helps other people stay alive", Hermione said. „He can also deal damage to enemies through his Holy Magic, but most of the time he is standing in the background and healing the people that are in need of his magic."

„Alright", I only understood half of the explanation. What did she mean with enemy? „What do you mean, enemies? Are you fighting against other people?"

„Kind of", Ron said. „Most of the time we fight against creatures that invade the Elwynn Forest or are corrupted by the Scourge, but sometimes, there are humans, nightelves and so on that want to kill us. So we have to take them out before they get the chance. Get it?"

„Just half, to be honest. In our world, when people kill each other, we are having a war."

„We are currently at war", Hermione provided. „We show you the city and then we explain it to you, okay?" I could only nod.

* * *

Half an hour later the three of us sat on a bench facing the harbor where ships set sail or anchored continuously. It was a rather nice day in this world – Azeroth was it's name? - and Hermione had bought us lunch. It was a stew made of Murloc Scales and whatever Murlocs were, they sure were tasty in a soup. There was also a similarity between the Ron of my world and the Ron of this world; they both never stopped eating.

„Seriously, Ron, what are you, a pig? Could you please eat like a gentleman does these days?", it could have been a conversation between my best friends rather then their alternate selves.

„I'm hungry", Ron bellowed, his mouth full of soup. „I was late this morning so I wasn't able to have a proper breakfast."

„Then you should get up earlier!", Hermione shook her head in exasperation. When she looked at me and saw me smiling in amusement, she groaned. „Yours is the same?"

„Yup."

„Oh gosh", she huffed the air out of her mouth. „He never changes, does he?"

„I don't mind", I said and Ron grinned at me, thankful for the support. „I'd say it's … reassuring."

„Reassuring?", the girl raised an eyebrow. When both Ron and I grinned at each other, she threw her hands in the air in defeat. „Boys!"

I couldn't help but laugh. „That's the Hermione I know. You're acting exactly like her."

„Do I", she grinned, too. Then she gazed at me while taking a spoon of her soup. „Well, Harry, what was the best part of the city for you?"

I thought about everything I had seen this day and had to suppress a smile. Stormwind really reminded me of the Middle Age of my world. First there was the Stormwind Hold, home to King Varian Wrynn and his son Anduin, then there was the Dwarfen District with all its cute machines and the blacksmiths. The Cathedral of Light where Ron currently underwent his study to become a priest. The little shops, selling ointments, clothes, herbs, potions, medicine, food and so on. The Trade District where a lot of races came together to sell or buy their goods. Then the Magic District where the Wizard's Sanctum and the Academy of Arcane Sciences were located. An last but not least the Harbor where we currently were sitting on the bench. Ron and Hermione had told me that there was also the graveyard, but thought that this was something for me to explore on my own if I really wanted it.

„The Cathedral was beautiful", I said and Ron beamed. „But I have to say that I cannot decide which sight was the best. I think this whole city is awesome!"

„Yes, it is", Hermione looked at me, a nosy light in her eyes. „Don't you have cities like this in your world?"

„Yes we have", I told her. „But the cities in my world are bigger, way bigger. Some of them have over ten million inhabitants-"

„Ten million?!", Ron shrieked. „That's almost as much people as in this whole world!"

„You have only ten million inhabitants in this world?", I asked incredulously and he nodded, somewhat pale. „That's … well … almost nothing compared to mine."

„How many live in your world?", Hermione asked. I sighed deeply, not wanting to frighten them with my answer.

„More than six billion."

Silence. Then-

„Holy shit!", Ron sat up abruptly and luckily for him, he had already eaten his soup, or else his robes would be drenched. „Six billion! _Six billion?! _How do so many people even fit into a world?!"

„That's the problem", I said. „My world is heavily overpopulated. We don't have enough farm able land to get everyone something to eat. More than 200 million people in the poorer countries are suffering from starvation."

„I don't even want to imagine", Hermione shut her eyes. „We, with our ten million, already have problems, but you, with six billion … I don't want to even imagine this many people here in Azeroth."

„Me too", Ron shuddered. „The remaining cities would be crowded with so many people that we wouldn't know where to walk!"

„Let's change the subject, shall we?", I said and they both nodded enthusiastically. „Good, then", I smiled. „Tell me about your world. Is there anything I'm in dire need to know?"

Hermione was completely in her element. „Azeroth has once been just a rock floating in the universe, void of life, nature, water and even shape. Then the Titans came and put it upon themselves to create the world we now see. They formed mountains, the sky, the sea, nature, animals, life even … they created creature after creature, plant after plant. When they finally left, they looked at the most powerful creatures of Azeroth at this time, the dragons. From the five greatest flights they took five dragons, one black, one blue, one red, one bronze and one green. They bestowed upon them parts of their power and turned them into the dragons today known as Aspects. Alexstrasza the Lifebinder, Ysera the Dreamer, Nozdormu the Timeless, Malygos the Spellweaver and Neltharion the Earthwarder. The Titans charged the Aspects to keep Azeroth safe and left.

Some ten thousand years ago, Neltharion betrayed the fellow Aspects and turned into Deathwing, the Destroyer. He manipulated the other Aspects and their flights to charge part of their power into the artifact known as Dragon Soul. When he had the whole power of the Dragon Soul on his side, he fought against the Aspects and decimated the flights so much that, at the end, they even kept away from each other.

He already saw himself as the ruler of Azeroth, but Malfurion Stormrage, a druid of the Nightelves, stole the artifact and hid it somewhere unknown on this world. Because of this, Deathwing went into hiding, waiting for the day to find the Dragon Soul. He also reshaped Azeroth, creating differences and problems between the races. That's why the people of Azeroth had had so many wars in their long history.

Thirty years ago, the mage Medivh, under the influence of the former Titan Sargeras, opened the Dark Portal and led the Horde to Azeroth. The Horde took over Stormwind and completely destroyed it, killing King Llane Wrynn, the father of the current king, in the process. The remaining humans, under the guidance of a man named Anduin Lothar, fled to Lordaeron, a kingdom that once was in the north of the Eastern Kingdom.

During the Second War, Deathwing reappeared, manipulating one of the Orc shamans to get the Dragon Soul from its hiding spot and use it to enslave Alexstrasza, the Lifebinder. The Horde managed to do so and used her as a breeding machine to provide them with dragons. They failed. Alexstrasza was saved by the other Aspects and the Dragon Soul was destroyed in the process, empowering the Dragons with the part of the power they once put in. They defeated Deathwing and he went into hiding again.

Meanwhile, the human forces along with the Dwarfs, Gnomes and Highelves of Quel'Thalas, the northernmost elf kingdom, fought together and managed to destroy the forces of the Horde. Many went back through the portal, but most were captured and stayed in camps, working as slaves.

At the time we were born, an Orc named Thrall became chieftain of the remaining Horde and managed to free his brothers from the camps. He set his eyes on the great continent of the west, Kalimdor, and he and his Orcs set sail. During their way, they encountered the Trolls and only the Darkspear clan followed Thrall to the new land. When they arrived, the Orcs met the Tauren and they made a pact, thus becoming the fraction now known as Horde."

„What happened then?", I asked, allowing Hermione to catch her breath.

„Some time ago, a new threat arose. Arthas Menethil, Prince of Lordaeron, was fighting the remains of the Burning Legion, who had appeared through the Dark Portal during the Second War. He encountered rather vicious demons and then he followed one to the northernmost continent of this world, Northrend. There he discovered the rune sword Frostmourne who held unbelievable power. Arthas, on his search for power, took the sword and payed with his soul for it. He merged with the Lich King and started to form his army of undead creatures, the Scourge.

Fifteen years ago, he managed to spread the Scourge in Lordaeron, his homeland, and a lot of people died. His army grew. He needed the power of Kel'Thuzad, his most loyal servant, who had been killed in the city of Andorhal. Arthas broke through the forces, regained the body of Kel'Thuzad and waltzed – yes, it's a terrible word, but there's nothing better to describe it – through Lordaeron and Quel'Thalas towards the Sunwell, killing many Humans and almost 70 percent of the Highelves in the process.

Arthas managed to revive Kel'Thuzad and together they went to work. They wanted to kill as many people as possible, because of Frostmournes thirst for blood. They also transformed some of the greatest warriors into so called Deathknights, fallen heroes that were under the complete control of Arthas.

A lot of things have happened since then. The Leader of the Highelves, now called Bloodelves, betrayed his people and became the servant of the fallen Nightelf Ilidan Stormrage, brother to aforementioned Malfurion. The Horde became bigger because of the Forsaken, undead under the guidance of Sylvanas Windrunner, and the Bloodelves joining. They mostly live in Kalimdor, though.

Five years ago, the Lich King rose in Northrend again. Also, the Blue Aspect, Malygos the Spellweaver, was cured from his thousands of years of madness, but strived to destroy every user of arcane magic in Azeroth. Let me tell you, both of them were killed in battle."

„Okay", it was a lot of input. But it wasn't over yet.

„Then, one year ago, Deathwing emerged yet again and sought to destroy the world. By getting a pure form of the Dragon Soul from the past, the Aspects all poured their whole strength into it to finally defeat their corrupted brother. He was killed in battle by Thrall, who helped the Aspects, with the help of the Dragon Soul. The Aspects became mortal afterward."

„But I thought the Blue Aspect was dead?"

„Yes he was, but during a natural seldom moon constellation, called the Embrace, the magic acted up and choose a new Aspect, Kalecgos."

„Seldom moon constellation?"

„Azeroth has two moons, mate", Ron provided. „The big white one is the White Lady and the small blue one is the Blue Child. When the blue one stands before the white one in a certain position, it looks as if the mother is embracing her child. Thus the name 'the Embrace'."

„Cool. In my world, there's only one moon and the best that happens it a moon eclipse or an eclipse."

„What's an eclipse?", Hermione asked. I looked at her as if she had grown another head.

„Seriously? You did never have an eclipse here?"

„No."

„Oh, okay", I sighed deeply, searching for words. My mouth was dry, I realized. „An eclipse is when the moon is standing between the sun and the planet. It gets dark because the moon is casting a shadow on the planet. It's only seen on a certain area at a time, because the planet – it's Earth, by the way – is just too big."

They looked at me and then they spoke at once.

„How big?!"

„Erm … big enough for six billion people to live in it." Both gaped.

„Man, living in your world would be awesome."

„It's not, believe me", I scratched my head. „Well, sometimes, but-" My eyes caught a sudden movement at the harbor and I narrowed them, trying to see properly. I still didn't have my glasses, which I had left in my world. „Hey, what's this?" I pointed at a man.

He jumped from a ship that had just anchored and despite his probably heavy armor, his walk seemed to be light. He carried a large sword with a long grip on his back. Where the grip ended, was the blade, a quadratic model with neon green color at it's end. It looked really heavy, but the man didn't seem to mind. He managed to walk in our direction in mere minutes.

„That's a Deathknight", Hermione said, looking at the man, too. „He just came back from a mission in Northrend, I assume."

„You assume correctly", Ron said, pointing at the ship with the big headlights at the front. „This one sails to Northrend and back once a week."

„Is Northrend dangerous?", I asked, eying the man's armor.

„Yes, it is, with the remaining Scourge running loose even after the Lich King's defeat."

„So that's why he's wearing all this armor."

Hermione laughed. „No, silly. He's a Deathknight, a former servant of the Lich King. He always wears plate armor."

„As in 'all-the-time'-always or 'just-when-he-is-on-missions'-always?"

„The latter."

„Ah, good. I couldn't imagine wearing something as heavy as this all the time."

„Shh, he's coming!", Hermione whispered and the Deathknight rose from the stairs before us. His black armor shone in the sunlight, his sword looked even more intimidating and the sack he carried looked full of treasure from a good mission. I couldn't even imagine how much he must sweat under all his gear, but he seemed to share my thoughts because on this moment, he pulled off his helmet and revealed his face.

I stared.

I rubbed my eyes.

Then stared some more.

I couldn't even grasp the view I saw right now. There, in black shiny armor, stood the one person I wasn't happy to see. The one person, that could easily make my stay in this world a misery with his mere presence. The one person I hadn't thought about for a long time. The one person that made my life miserable.

I looked face to face with Tom Riddle.

* * *

_Who of you knew this would happen? XD_

_All the information about Azeroth are from WoWWikia. Thank god for this address!_

_If you ask, I'm using the unofficial timeline of WoW. If you want to read it, just type in Timeline on WoWWikia._

_Please, I need a beta. I beg you, anyone, help me!_

_I'm a star, so beta me! (if you don't get it, look up Ich bin ein Star, holt mich hier raus!)_

_Reviews are highly appreciated. Please don't waste any time with flaming. I simply ignore it. If you have anything to say, use constructive criticism._

_Alaythassa_


	4. Earth

_Hey there, guys. _

_I'm sorry I didn't update for such a long time. I started work and first had to get used to it. I'm a call centre agent now :D_

_Well, here you go with the next chapter. I hope you like it :D_

* * *

_**Earth**_

I didn't know how long I stared at the face of my nemesis. I didn't even know how I did it without freaking out. All I knew was that when I was finally able to shake myself out of the shock, the Deathknight before me had moved on and was now walking in the direction of the Trade District. I couldn't help but follow him with my eyes and as soon as he was gone from my view, I released the breath I hadn't realized I was holding in a reliefed sigh.

"Holy shit", I whispered. Ron and Hermione looked at me, both obviously confused.

"What happened there, mate?", Ron finally asked. "You became all tense when you saw him."

"I ...", my mouth was dry, my heart still beating. "I ... know this man from my world."

"Ah", it dawned upon Hermione. "He isn't a good person in your world, is he?"

"No, he wasn't", I said slowly, looking at the remains of my now cold soup. I swallowed. "But he isn't alive anymore."

"Wow", Ron made an impressed noise. "Then your world's Tom must've been a real dimwit. I mean, seriously, he is a Deathknight. Trying to kill a Deathknight'll be the last thing you do in your life. Especially him."

"So you know him?"

"Just a little bit", Hermione said. "We always sit here in our free time and watch him when he comes back from one of his missions. Sometimes we talk to him. He's really capable so he gets most missions." As she says this, I suddenly come up with an image in my head. It stares Voldemort and this worlds version of him, fighting each other. I laugh.

"I just imagined the both of them meeting each other."

"That would've been some fight", Ron laughed with me. "Tom doesn't do social."

"Of course he does", Hermione interupts him. "You just have to try to talk to him."

"Yeah, I know", Ron waved it away. "If someone puts you in the same room as him, you would talk the day away about books and all the other logical shit. I'm not interested, thank you very much." Hermione shot him a dirty look and Ron cringed. I laughed even more.

"God, you are so much like the Ron and Hermione from my world", I said and at the same time, I felt really sad. I missed them.

"Are they ... I mean we ... are we like, dead in your world?", Ron asked and Hermione hit his head.

"Ron, this isn't something you ask!"

"Hey, I'm curious! What if we died?"

"So what if we did? Would it change anything?!"

"I just thought it would hurt Harry even more when he goes back to his world!", Ron looked at me and then his gaze darted to his feet. "I just wanted to know as not to hurt him..."

"Oh Ron", suddenly, Hermione threw herself at the redhead. Ron let out a loud yelp and together they pummeled to the ground. I had to hold my side, I was laughing so hard. Girls. When emotions ran high, they were even more unpredictable than the weather!

Ron managed to free himself of the girl and stood up. Hermione remained sitting on the ground looking at her boyfriend with a warm expression and when he held out his hand to help her up, she smiled the brightest smile I had ever seen.

"Thanks Ron", she said and got up. Then they both sat down again and faced me. I just wanted to tell them more about my world when suddenly a shadow appeared behind me and I felt a familiar presence.

My arch-nemesis.

Well, his self from this world.

He stood behind me, looking at Hermione expectantly. She noticed and blushed slightly.

"Sorry, Tom", she said apologetically. "I forgot your book." When he didn't say anything, she continued. "If you want, you can keep mine for a little longer."

"It's alright", Tom Riddle said and shrugged. He pulled something out of his large sack and held it into Hermione's direction. It was a big book with a blue leather cover and the picture of a tall man in a colorful robe on the front. He was standing before a dark brick tower that was iluminated by the dark stormy clouds behind it. The title said 'The Last Guardian' and it seemed to be well worn. "I finished it yesterday."

"You read so fast, Tom", Hermione took the book with an thankful nod. "Do you need any more books or are you staying here in the city for the time being?"

"I just have to report to Darion Morgraine about the outcoming of my mission and then I'm free to do what I want for the next weeks", he probably thought it would be a longer conversation with Hermione because all of a sudden the man sat down next to me. I tensed but he didn't seem to care. Or not to notice. "Northrend is pretty much empty of the Scourge right now. Of course, Icecrown and Zul'Drak are still swarming with undead, but they lost most of their outposts in the Borean Tundra and in the Howling Fjord. If we progress as we do as of now, the Scourge will cease to exist within the next two years."

"That sounds awesome", Hermione said. She didn't seem to notice that I was all tense in the presence of this man and I just wanted nothing more than be at the end of the world right now. Ron saw my problem and caughed awkwardly.

"It is really nice and all, but shouldn't we introduce Tom to our new friend?", alright, perhaps I had overestimated the redhead yet again. Why was he doing this?

I felt the Deathknights gaze on my face and quickly looked away. I was kind of afraid that I would see the churning red eyes of my world's Voldemort and they were one of the things I never wanted to see again. They still haunted me in my dreams.

"You're new", Tom said slowly and I felt that he looked me over. "A mage I presume?"

"He will be", Hermione said. "Master Klevius told me to prepare him for the test." I looked at her incredoulously.

"When did you want to tell me that?", I said loudly and her ears went pink. She smiled sheepishly and I was kind of shocked as I had never seen this expression on the Hermione of my world.

"I forgot?", she asked, trying to make me forgive her. I watched for a few seconds, ready to just turn around and go, but then I sighed deeply.

"Alright, it's okay", I said. "But tell me next time or I won't be as forgiving."

"Don't even try to be mad at her", Ron commented, grinning. "It's impossible. She perfected the puppy-dog eyes a long time ago."

"And who helped her with it?", Tom's gaze seemed to make Ron uncomfortable because he squirmed on the bench like a rat in front of a predator. I laughed seeing him like this and out of the corner of my eyes, I saw that the Deathknight smirked.

_I can't keep not looking at him forever_, I said to myself and finally took a glance at him.

He was totally different from the Voldemort I knew.

He didn't even look that much like the Tom Riddle I knew from the diary and Dumbledore's memories.

About a head taller than his other self, he was thin but well built. He had black hair that fell into his eyes, ending just below his ears. His skin was deathly white, but it didn't look as bad as at Snake Voldemort. Instead of two holes for nostrils, he had a thin but well shaped nose and nice features that one could almost call aristocratic. There was no stuble on his chin despite him probably unable to shave for a few weeks and his hair was slightly sticky from being beneath a helmet the whole day.

The most striking difference were his eyes.

Instead of eyes shaped like a snake's in the color of red, his eyes were light blue, the color of the sky. Not even Tom Riddle from my world had had such ... nice eyes. I couldn't believe that another color than red was even possible.

"Why are your eyes blue?", I suddenly asked. Ron and Hermione looked at me as if I had grown a second head, but Tom merely raised an eyesbrow.

"I'm a Deathknight", he said. "When the Lich King revived me, my eyes started to glow blue. While I was under his comand, my eyes continued to glow and only when I 'woke up' and freed myself from his will did they stop. Since then, I've had this eyecolor." He shrugged. "It's no big deal. I don't care about my appearance anymore."

_Yeah, I bet_, I thought dryly. I caughed. Ron got the hint and grinned.

Something suddenly dawned at me and I did a double-take at the man. Did I hear right?

"After he revived you? You were dead?"

"Yes I was", Tom shrugged. "I died fifteen years ago at the border of Quel'Thalas in my battle against the Scourge. The Lich King himself picked me out and ordered his servants to drag my corpse to Acherus."

"Okay", I said, flabbergusted. To know that the Voldemort from my world had looked for ways to make himself immortal and even going so far as splitting his soul to achieve his goal, it was pure irony that his other self had already died but was still alive. "That's ... weird."

"Weird?", Tom cooked his head. "Why weird?"

"Well ... you people all exist in my world, too", I explained the concept of the other selves to him an he nodded understandingly. "The Tom Riddle strived for immortality so bad that he eventually went mad. He split his soul-"

"Excuse me?", Hermione interrupted. "He did what?!"

"He split his soul, like literally", I said. Hermione's mouth was wide open. "He split it into seven pieces and put them in objects or living creatures he deemed worthy enough to carry a piece of his soul. Needless to say that I was one."

"That's why you tense up when I'm near", Tom Riddle had a sharp eye, I had to give him that. I nodded.

"I feel slightly uncomfortable in your presence, but it's nothing I'm not used to. The last year of my school where I looked for those soul pieces were even worse."

"Did you do this all alone?", Ron asked and I shook my head.

"The Hermione and Ron from my world helped me."

"So why are you not so close to them anymore?", Hermione eyed me suspiciously and I gulped deeply.

"There was an ... incident", I said slowly. "I don't really want to talk about."

Silence settled over us and no one knew how to break it. I felt like a dread was eating away at my stomach, making it unable to move from the pain. I looked in the faces of Ron and Hermione and was so much reminded of the one from my world that I felt like crying. It felt so good to feel this sense of old friendship again after a whole year of loneliness, but at the same time I felt guilty. It felt like I was just using these two as substitutes and that wasn't alright. They were both nice individuals and didn't need someone taking advantage of their friendship. What am I doing here? I'm using these two. I suddenly panicked. What if they found out what I had supposedly done? I was sure they would probably be on Ginny's side of the story and don't even listen to my explanations. And then I would have two Ron Weasley's after my blood/balls and two Hermione's that would tell me how much they hated me and how they never wanted to see me again. I closed my eyes as not to imagine their hateful faces and suddenly felt how someone hit me on the head. Hard.

"Ohh!", I yelped and looked at my attacker. It was Riddle. "That hurt, you asshole."

"Stop projecting like this", he said while crossing his arms before his chest. "I could hear every single thought." I turned pale as a sheet and this seemed to catch him off guard. He came over to me and put his hands on my shoulders. "Hey, if you lose conciousness I swear to Arthas-"

"Arthas is dead", Ron said humorloessly. Tom glared at him and he squirmed.

"I know that", he said, then shook my shoulders slightly. "Hey, stay here, alright! I didn't mean it like that."

"What happened?", Hermione asked curiously. Tom sighed, put his sack on the bench and rumaged through the contents. Then he pulled out some leaves in a greyish-blue color and held them under my nose.

The sharp smell of something I couldn't even name rose up in my nose and I suddenly felt like the Murloc Soup from before wanted to get out. Bad. I had to hold my mouth closed as not to puke right then and there. I took some deep breathes through my nose and slowly, the uneasy feeling in my stomach lossened and the bile went down. When I was able to open my mouth again, it was completely dry.

"Water", I said and because we had none, Hermione simply conjured into the empty stone cup Tom gave her. I was too distracted by my unability to swallow properly to notice. I simple took the cup, set it to my lips and drank like there was no tomorrow. My thirst was only quenched when I had emptied the whole cup.

"Thanks", I said breathlessly and gave the cup back to Hermione. "I needed that."

"You're welcome", Hermione smiled at me, but then her brows furrowed. "What happened?"

"I let him take a breath of Lubuha Leaves. You know, the ones from Dragonblight", Tom said and sat down again. Hermione rose in front of him like a vulture.

"Are you mad?!", she bellowed at him angrily. "He could have died!"

"Easy Hermione, I know what I'm doing", Tom said, holding his hands in front of him. When she didn't stop galring at him, he sighed. "Arthas dammit, you're acting like my mother. I only let him _sniff _at them, alright?"

"Yeah and look where that got him", she looked at my pale form and I sighed.

"Hermione, it's-"

"You know how dangerous this is!"

"Hermione-"

"That's why I only let him sniff them!"

"Her-"

"You say that now, but what if he isn't so lucky the next time!"

"HERMIONE!"

When I finally shouted her name, her attention went to me and I saw that Tom fastly tugged the leaves back into his sack.

"What?", Hermione seemed to have forgotten that I had been sick just a few seconds ago. I cast Ron a glance, asking with my eyes if this was normal. He nodded.

"I just wanted to tell you it's alright", she inhaled deeply, obviously trying to say something. "And before you say something, let's all take a deep breath and then I'm going to tell you of my world, okay?" Hermione inhaled deeply once again, but then seemed to resine herself to the fate of the listener. She cast Tom a dirty glance which the Deathknight didn't even bother returning.

The four of us changed the setting now. While we had been at the Harbour for quite some time now, we went into the direction of the Cathedral of Light. The many well crafted towers had a magnificent way to reflect the light, as did the colorful windows on the Cathedral's side. The towers finally dissapeared behind a few high houses but reappered again in its full glory when we reached the Cathedrals plaza. Appletrees lined it, full of fresh apples just waiting to be plucked. I fought the urge to go to the nearest tree and get myself one of the delicious traits, just as Ron ran ahead and took four from the biggest tree there stood. Hermione raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

We continued our way to the back of the Cathedral where a green park like structure started. It led to the graveyard, but this wasn't our destination. We wanted to sit down surrounded by nature before I started the story about my own world. The water of the Stormwind canals started here and a fresh breeze wafted across the water, rippling it slightly. I inhaled deeply and smeeled fresh air, fresher than on any place in my own world. It probably had to do with the fact that there weren't as many machines here as were in my world. There were no cars here, too.

We finally sat down between a few trees, the running water just a few steps away. Ron gave everyone of us an apple and I watched in astonishment as Tom devoured his in mere seconds. I gaped at him an he smirked.

"I eat a lot", he said as an explanation. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Since he got the Red Life pendant from Alexstrasza for saving one of her eggs in Tol'Barad, he eats and eats like there is no tomorrow."

"Do you know how frustrating it is not to be able to eat because you rot?", Tom asked her with a raised eyebrow. She shook her head.

"You rot?", I asked. Tom let loose a small humourless laugh.

"I'm dead, idiot", he answered. Then he eyed my apple suspiciously and I firmly held on to it. "Of course I rot. It was rather ... bad before I got the pendant. I smelled like a dead cat-"

"Like a dead man", Ron corrected and Tom glared at him. This time, the Priest didn't squirm.

"Like a dead cat", Tom continued, ignoring Ron's interruption. "Everytime I broke one of my limbs I didn't feel pain, but the limp also didn't heal as I would've liked. So when I saved one of Alexstrasza's eggs and she gave me the pendant ... it was like I was finally able to enjoy my second life."

"He came home and ate everything he got his hands on", Hermione said laughing. "It was a sight to see." I imagined it and laughed as well. Ron followed me and soon the three of us were laughing about the Deathknight in our middle. Tom scowled.

"You are lucky you aren't my enemies", he said, but I could see him smirk. We finally stoped laughing and Hermione turned to me.

"So, Harry", she said. "Tell us about your world."

"Well", I suddenly felt my mouth go dry again. What to tell them? About my world as a whole or only about the magical world?

"World as a whole", Tom said and I jumped slightly. He was able to read my thoughts at the harbour as well, wasn't he? "Yes, I did. Deathknight thing. Now start talking." I gulped slightly, but then I gathered my breath and began to talk.

"As you know already, my world is bigger than yours. We do have more than six billion inhabitants and more then 190 different countries. There are also more than 5000 different languages, either spoken by minorities or by the majority. Our major language is English. It's what I'm currently speaking."

"Dude, you speak Common", Ron said, but Hermione hit him on his head.

"Magic, you idiot", she belowed and he grinned sheepishly.

"I forgot?", he said and she scowled before she sighed.

"Idiot. Continue Harry."

"Thank you, Hermione. Good, where was I? Ah, yes, English. There are three languages that are the most prominent in my world, so to speak. Those are English, Spanish and Chinese. The people from China are the most in numbers. They have over one billion inhabitants as of right now.

We have seven conitnents in total. They are named Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Australia, Europe, North and South America. Most of them were colonized by the Europeans, such as the two Americas and Australia. Antarctica is a continent made of ice, glaciers and high mountains painted white. Europe, one of the smallest continents just after Australia, is the one where most of the wars took place.

So many wars, where to start? Well, a lot of wars had to do with religion. We have a lot of religions in our world, like Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism and so on. There's still high tension between Christianity and the Islam I believe. Most of our wars resulted from these two religions clashing together.

We also had two World Wars already, One and Two. The first lasted about four years and ca. 17 million people died. The second was even more gruesome, as about 50 million people died. The second was initiated by a man named Adolf Hitler who fought for the idea that his race was superior to other races. He also wanted to expand the borders of his country, Germany.

In his strive for more power and more superiority, he started to purge Germany and it's neighbouring countries of all people who followed the religion of Judaism. He killed six million of them before other countries such as the United States of America, the United Kingdom of Great Britain, France and Russia were able to stop him. After six years of war, he killed himself and his wife and a lot of his former allies also commited suicide. But with the surrender of Germany, the war wasn't quite over. An ally of the Germans, Japan, still fought on their side of the world against the Americans. But this also ended when the Americans dropped two atomic bombs over two major Japanese cities."

"What is an atomic bomb?", Hermione asked, not wanting to hear the answer. I felt her hesistance but answered the question nonetheless.

"An atomic bomb is a bomb made radiant material, stuff that radiates waves of destructive energy. When released like it was done in the two Japanese cities, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, it triggers a chain reaction and sets loose a power of destruction high enough to turn everything in a three kilometre radius to ash."

"Oh", Hermione imagined the destructive power of an atomic bomb and shuddered. Ron did so as well, but Tom only raised an eyebrow.

"And they really bombed two cities full of humans with these bombs just to win a war? Wow, your people are cruel."

"It was long before I was even born, even before my parents were born", I defended the humans from my world. "I couldn't have stopped them if I wanted to."

"I just said your people are cruel", Tom said. "Mine are as well. You should hear about the things the Lich King did to this world, or how the Burning Legion rampaged on this planet."

"Sorry, I didn't consider this", I said, then coughed to get everyone's attention again. "Well, the war was over, as the ruler of Japan, the emperor, surrendered shortly after the second bomb fell. The remaining Jews of Europe travelled to a land they had once lived in and founded the state Israel.

Since then, there have been a lot of other wars in my world, but none as ravaging as the two World Wars. Besides this, my world is also rather cultural and proud of its traditions. They sing, paint, compose ... it's rather awesome to see how much culture some countries still have."

I sighed and leaned back. "The only problem my people have is that they are afraid of everything they can't understand. In the Middle Age, they were afraid of all people able to make medicine from healing herbs and burned then as witches. When the first settlers arrived in America, they met the Indians, a race whose tradition they did not understand. So they killed them. So many people were killed just because some people thought themselves to be superior to others. It's rather heartbreaking."

"It sounds a lot like our world", Ron said quietly. "We are constantly at the edge of war with the Horde and only work together sometimes like when the Lich King wreaked havoc here. But other than that, we're no better than your people."

"Currently, a lot of things changed. People are living together in equality, but there are still some people that would kill a person just because of his religion, his skin color or his gender. But we fight and survive and sometime in the future, we will be able to overcome this state of mindless killing and be humanity as a whole!" I didn't realize I stood up while saying this and that I had shouted the last part. Hermione looked at me with proud eyes, then she clapped.

"You're really compassionate. You have faith in you people albeit their many mistakes. It's rather ... admireable", she smiled at me. "Keep it up, will you?"

"I will", I nodded to her. I looked at Ron and saw that he smiled too. I felt content and ready to start fighting for my world, when the voice of our third companion ruined the good mood.

"Just a question", he said as I turned around to face him with rage burning in my eyes. "How do the wizards fit in the picture?"

"Oh", I said, slightly embarrassed. I had totally forgotten to tell them about us wizards. "Wizards and Witches are currently living in hiding because we think the world isn't ready for us. If the normal people, we call the Muggles, had magic, they would demand from us to cure even the nastiest injuries and sicknesses and Earth would soon be overpopulated. Not to speak of the meanings of war. The Muggles would rage war on each other in magical means and we think that there was enough war in our world already."

"Ah, I see", Tom said. He looked at me, then he stood up. "Just the things I was curious about."

"You have to go already?", I asked and he nodded. He was obviously not ready to leave, but it seemed he had no choice.

"Thassarian and Highlord Darion Morgraine will have my head if I don't report to them in the next hour, so I have to go. Safe the rest of the story for later. I want to hear it, too. Somehow I believe it has to do with my other self." He smirked, put his helmet over his head and shouldered his sack. "Tomorrow at the inn?"

"Yes, we will be there", Hermione said. "Try not to eat anything untill we're there."

"I'll try."

"See ya", Hermione and Ron waved when Tom turned his back to us and dark energy started to rise from his hands. It wavered in front of him and started to form something that looked like a dark purple curtain or rather a ... door? It looked like a big door, with a skull looming high above the arch of it. Tom turned, waved on last time and stepped through the door. It remained a few seconds, then it dissappeared.

"I never thought I'd see his portal", Ron said, awed. I looked at him, confused. "It's what Deathknights use to go to Acherus, their base."

"Ah, I see", I sat down again, but before I could say anything, or tell them more about my world, the bells of the church chimed indicating it was eight o'clock and dawn was approaching. Hermione let loose a shriek.

"I totally forgot about your test!", she screamed, got up, took my arm and dragged me to my feet. "Sorry, Ron, we've gotta go", she kissed her boyfriend on his cheek before she ran of with me. I was just able to wave at a dumbstruck Ron one last time before we entered the maze of Stormwinds districts and made our way back to Wizard's Sanctum.

* * *

_Well, how was this chapter? _

_I beg you, I need a beta-reader. I need to improve my English really really bad and not having a beta-reader won't make my chapters better._

_So please, anyone, I beg you. I need a beta Q_Q_

_I love humour in my stories, so don't be shocked that I display Tom as OOC as I do. He's had a different childhood than the Tom from Harry's world and therefore has another character. _

_With that said, see ya untill the next update!_

_Alaythassa_


	5. The Magic Test

_Hey guys, how are you doing?_

_I just had to write this chapter. I wondered how people in Azeroth would be able to tell the skill tree of a person if they were real, and this is what I came up with. I hope you all like it._

_ Dante: Thank you for your comment. It made me really happy that you like my story so much. As for Harry liking the Ron from Azeroth although the Ron from his world has been a complete asshole to him: Harry misses the old Ron and when he met the Ron from Azeroth he thought that he might be able to have this again. In some kind, he's using the second Ron as a substitute for the first that abandoned him. But Harry was lonely for a whole year and of course takes this chance now that it was presented to him. _

_All rather confusing. I hope it makes sense :D_

_I am a little bit sad that I didn't get as many comments for the last chapter as I did before, but oh well, I myself don't always write a comment for each new chapter of a story, so I totally understand it :D_

_If there is anyone who'd be willing to beta me ... please write. I need you!_

* * *

_**The Magic Test**_

Hermione was dragging me through the streets of Stormwind as if the devil was hot on her heels. The shops we passed were no more than a blur of colours and smells to me and I had difficulties to breath in properly. Soon after we passed the Trading District, I forced the running girl to stop and let go of my hand.

"Hermione", I wheezed, trying to catch my breath. "Why do we ... have to go ... so fast?"

"We're late", she wasn't as breathless as I was it seemed. "We should have been there ten minutes ago. High Sorcerer Andromath doesn't like to wait."

"High Sorcerer Andromath? I thought I was doing the test with Master Klevius?"

"Master Klevius will also be present but High Sorcerer Andromath is one of the most respected mages in Stormwind and also the director of the School of Arcane Studies."

"Ah, I see", I swallowed. Standing before the High Sorcerer, the best mage of Stormwind just after one day? What was he going to think about the stranger from the other world? "Does he know about my ... situation?"

"Yes he does", Hermione said. "Master Klevius informed him today as much as I know. But you needn't worry. He isn't going to judge you because of this. He will probably be rather intrigued by your arrival." I still wasn't sure, but if Hermione said so, I had to trust her. But, oh, I was nervous.

"Is the test going to be difficult?"

"No, it isn't", Hermione smiled at me reassuringly. "It will only show us which kind of magic you will learn in the future."

"Which kind?", Hermione started walking the rest of the way in a fast pace and I had difficulties following her. "Are there many ways of magic?"

"Well", she started and rounded a corner. The brigde that led to the Magic District lay before us. "There are a lot of different types of magic that all originate from the Arcane Magic, like Nature Magic used by Druids or Holy Magic used by Priests and Paladins. We magi have three magic skill trees that work the best for us. These are Fire, Frost and Arcane." We walked through several streets and soon the Wizard's Sanctum stood before us, surrounded by a garden full of apple trees. "I'm a Frost Mage, by the way. You can see what kind of magic a person is studying here if you look at their robes. Mine a blue, indicating that I usw Frost Magic. People that wear red robes are using Fire Magic and the ones that wear white robes use the purest form of magic, the Arcane Magic."

"Oh", I looked down on my blue robes. "So I will get new robes if I'm no Frost Mage?"

"Yep", we went up the ramp that led to the tower.

Hermione strode through its corridors confidently and I had no choice to stay hot on her heels as not to get lost. This tower reminded me strangely of Hogwarts and the memories of my first days there resurfaced. I smiled when the image of a furious Filch came to my mind, or McGonagall, scolding us for being late for our first lesson and asking which one of us she should transform into either a map or a watch. I snickered.

"This reminds me of my school", I said and Hermione looked at me with curious eyes. "It's the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It's one of the most popular school for young magic students and the Headmaster ... well, the current is also rather strong and respected, as was the old one."

"What happened to him?", she asked, knowing the answer. I sighed.

"He died", I said. "It was a rather complicated scheme. He was already dying and the bad man – the Tom Riddle from my world that went mad – ordered a student to kill him. In order to protect the boy, the headmaster constructed a plan that had one of his most trusted teachers acting to go rogue on him an kill him."

"And he did it?", Hermione asked. I nodded.

"Before my eyes. The old headmaster – his name was Dumbledore – fell of the tower afterwards."

"Dumbledore?", the sad expression Hermione had shown to me only seconds before turned into laughter. "Dumbledore, Headmaster of a Magic School? Oh god, this is really crazy. Your world is full of surprises."

"Why?", I was slightly insulted by this comment and Hermione stopped laughing immediately.

"Sorry, I didn't mean it like that", she said quickly. "Its just that Albus Dumbledore is one of the most respected Paladin in this world. Its said that he was a friend of Anduin Lothar himself and that he trained with him."

"A Paladin? Isn't that one of the people who uses Holy Magic?"

"Yes he is. He's a rather known and well-worn man. He also trained most of the newer guards of Stormwind himself."

"Okay", Dumbledore a Paladin fighting with the might of the Holy Magic? It was just as ridiculous as the fought of Tom Riddle working out and fighting with a huge sword. This world seemed to be rather different then my own. For a moment I wondered what other changes had occured here, but shook myself out of it. Now was not the time for something like this. I had a Magic Test to do.

We finally reached a plain wooden door at the end of a corridor. Hermione ordered me to stop in front of it and then knocked. The door was opened and someone instructed Hermione to get in, but me to wait outside. When she closed the door behind her, I took the time to take a look around me.

There were carpets hanging on the walls, all of them showing famous magi that had once studied here. Or rather, that was what I presumed. There was a picture of a blonde woman in purple and white robes, holding a staff above her head. She was screaming at someone, but you couldn't really see who it was. She was rather beautiful and had a passion burning in her eyes that warned any fool not to try to mess around with her.

Next to her was the picture of a man clad in purple and black robes. He was tall, had borad shoulders and shoulder-lenght dark hair. His piercing eyes bore into my soul although it was only a picture on a carpet and I squirmed a little, feeling uneasy. Behind the man was a massive raven sitting on a hill and looking over the man's shoulder. It had the same piercing eyes as the man and I realized they were one and the same.

I quickly looked away from the man before his gaze could draw me in and turned around to look out of one of the windows that showed the outside. Only at the second glance did I realize that they weren't real but flimmering images of places I didn't know. The first one showed a snowy landscape with a tall building in the background. The sky was as dark as ink and heavy clouds swallowed any sunlight that tried to go through. Beneath the window was a small signature that told me the name of the landscape I was looking at. 'Icecrown' it said. Hadn't Tom told us before that Icecrown was in Northrend and still swarming with undead? Yeah, that was were I had heard the name before.

I continued to look at the pictures. One showed me the massive roots of something that I could only call a giant tree. It seemed to grow in a candelara where the rain had formed a small beautiful lake. Something that looked like a house was build at the nothern side of the lake, but it was unlike any house I had ever seen. There were almost no outer walls and you directly see the things going on at the main floor like people trading and speaking with each other. Beneath this window stood the name 'Mount Hyjal'.

My curiousity was piqued. I wanted to see more of this strange new world that was so very different yet just like my own. I wanted to see waterfalls, fields, mountains, cities and all the other new things this world had to offer to my hungry eyes. I was suddenly overcome with the urge to travel, to disappear and look at all the places that I didn't see before. I also realized that I had a certain freedom here in this world that I hadn't had in mine.

Because of Voldemort and his Death Eaters, I hadn't been allowed to leave the house in Privet Drive when I was there as much as I had wanted to. I also wasn't able to travel around and see something of my own world. The year that I had been hunting for the Horcruxe's didn't count, because I was always in hiding or hadn't had the time to take in the surrouding landscape. And then came the year after Ginny's betrayal where I didn't even leave the house as not to get myself into a situation with my ex-fiancée.

But now I was free. Almost no one in this world knew that I even existed. For them, I was a stranger from a world they did not know and who would be probably never be able to get back. Perhaps I was able to talk them into a journey, so that I could get some experience in the field. Maybe Hermione and Ron could come with me and it would just us three against the rest of the world...

My wonderful train of thought was suddenly interrupted by Hermione hitting my shoulder as hard as she could. I turned around and looked at her with an angry scowl.

"Ou, that hurt, woman!"

"Stop being such a baby", she said, rolling her eyes. "I'm here to get you. Master Klevius and High Sorcerer Andromath want to see you." Suddenly the nervousness had returned and my stomach felt as if I had eaten stones.

"Do I really have to go in there?", I tried to weasel my way out of this, but the Frost Mage started to drag me towards the now open door. "Can't I do this some other time? Like never?"

"If you don't do this, you don't have a place to stay at. Only magi are allowed to reside in the Wizard's Sanctum."

"Damnit."

"Watch your language around these two", she instructed me and finally pushed me in the room. "I will be outside and waiting for you."

"Wait, are you not coming in?!", I yelped panicked, but she already closed the door and I was on my own. I sighed deeply and turned around, accepting my fate.

Before me in two large red armchairs sat the two man, High Sorcerer Andromath and Master Klevius. I had seen the Master already, so I identified Andromath immediately. He was an older man with grey shoulder-lenght hair and a full beard of the same colour. He wore a purple robe with black and gold patterns at the hems, shoes of the same colour, a golden waist and large purple shoulder pieces. He held a middle lenght staff in his hand that was made of a light grey material with a large green jam at the end. Tiny green shards were swirling around it and it reeked of magic.

Klevius was a lot younger than Andromath but had the same air around the him that spoke authority and demanded respect. He had short blonde hair that fell into his eyes and a mustache that reminded me of Uncle Vernon. He wore deep blue robes with golden stripes at the hems and green linen shoes that were slightly worn out. His hands rested on a white stone that broke the warm light of the fire place magnificently. His green eyes looked at me with a wise and interested expression in them.

"Welcome to your Magic Test, student", he said. I straightened my back a little and tried not to let my nervousness show. "As you know, I'm Master Klevius and this is High Sorcerer Andromath, the best Mage in Stormwind and also the Director of this school."

I bowed slightly and Andromath returned the gesture. "I've heard about you", I said. Andromath nodded approvingly.

"It seems your student already introduced me to this boy", he said to Klevius and laughed. "She's really a bright one, isn't she?"

"Hermione is one of the best students that ever resided in this tower", Klevius praised. "But let's not talk about her. This is about the young Harry in front of us." He looked at me. "Please, take a seat." He conjured a large armchairn in the same colour as his in front of me and I slowly sat down. Then he observed me and I swallowed again.

"Do not worry, young Mage", Andromath said. "We are not going to hurt you. This is just a simple test to see which way of magic you will follow in the near future." I smiled slightly at his encouragement but still felt as if my stomach was a tight knot.

"It seemes we have to explain the Test to him, does it not?", Klevius held up the stone in front of me. "This stone here is the Magical Stone. It is filled with the magic of the ley lines that provide this tower with the power it needs. It was refilled just this afternoon and will now provide us with the information about your magical core." When I looked at him confusedly, he coughed and continued his speech. "As you may know, every Mage has a magical core, every person in general. The core tells us what kind of magic a person is going to be able to use in his life. The core and the magic that is used have to be in synchronization all the time, or else the magic will not unfold its full potential."

"Ah, I see", I said. I blushed immediately and Klevius laughed softly.

"I see that you are a bright one, too", he said, amused. "I am sure you will provide your future teacher with honor." I blushed even harder, then coughed to hide my embarassment.

"What do I have to do with the stone?", I asked, feeling a little impatient. I wanted to get this over with. Andromath explained it to me.

"This stone is filled with magic so pure that it can be influenced by other magic pretty easily", he took the stone from Klevius very cautiously and held it out to me. I took it just as slowly as he did and examined it in my hands. "The Test is very simple. You have to let your magic flow into the stone and when it mingles with the magic already in there, the reaction the stone makes will show us what kind of magic you have."

I looked at the thing in my hand and felt warmth coming from it. It felt like it pulsated, almost like a heart. Klevius saw my expression.

"Magic is alive, within us and within everything", he said. "It feels like a heart to you, pounding in a steady rhythem. Soon, you will feel the same when the magic rushes in your veins and wants to get out, wants you to channel it. But be careful! You might soon get addicted to this feeling. That's why you have to study magic and not aquire it on your own. There has always to be someone who can tell you and if necessary stop you before you get addicted and out of control."

"Is magic really this additive and destructive?", I asked. Andromath nodded.

"The Arcane Magic, the purest form of magic, was the main reason the Burning Legion attacked this world in the first place. It is also the reason why the Titans left thousands of years ago, or why the Bloodelves are so determined to keep the Sunwell, a great source of Arcane Magic, under their control. They are addicted to it."

"Ok, so that basically means I have to be under control at all times when I use my magic?"

"Yes", Klevius nodded approvingly. "Just as I said, you are rather bright. Now, please start the Test. To do so, you have to pour your magic into the stone and wait for the reaction. We will then tell you what kind of magic you will study in this tower."

I nodded and stared at the stone in my hands. It was still feeling as if it pulsated and I asked myself if it was just like channeling your magic through a wand. But a wand was made of wood and this stone was made of ... what was it made of? It certainly looked a lot like a diamond. Perhaps a stone made of pure magic? Would I be able to channel my magic into it? There was only one way to find out.

Inhaling deeply, I reached into my core and imagined doing an easy spell like _Wingardium Leviosa_ or _Alohomora_, then tried to push my magic into the stone. At first, nothing happened. I pushed further and further, pouring more magic out of me, now thinking about _Aguamenti_ or _Reducto _untill I suddenly felt my hands heating up. At first, I thought the stone was reacting, but when I looked down, I saw blisters appearing on my hands and a sharp pain eating my hands away. I screamed and let go off the stone that fell to the ground with a thump. I held my hands in front of the firelight and slowly, but continuesly, the blisters dissapeared, only leaving red skin behind. The pain was also gone and I looked at the two magi in front of me, highly confused. They shared a look.

"What happened?", I said hoarsly and coughed, trying to get my voice under my control again.

"It appears as if your magic wasn't able to get from your hand into the stone", Andromath stoked his beard. "You have to concentrate on the magic leaving your hand and pouring into the stone, or else, this Test will not work for you."

I was slightly frustrated but kneeled down and picked the stone up. It still pulsated in the same rhythem as if to mock me and I slightly let my anger at my failure take control. I started concentrating on my magic again, directed it to my hands, which was easy, and then tried to get it to pour from my fingertips into the stone, which was not easy. I felt the blisters appear again, but this time, I bit my lips to keep the scream from escaping my mouth and tried to direct my magic into this stubborn object. The stone pulsated slightly unregular now and I first thought it finally worked, but then suddenly an explosion happened at my hands and the stone fell to the ground yet again. A sharp jab of pain was running through my body and I held my hands to my body. I couldn't help the small whimper that escaped me. Klevius stood up and made me show him my hands. He sighed deeply.

"This time you were ruled by anger and tried to force your way into the stone", he explained while he took a bottle with red liquid out of his robes and poured the content over my hand. The pain stopped instantly and when the mage was done, my hand was healed once again. "You have to clear your mind of all thoughts and concentrate only on the flow of your magic into the stone. You have to concentrate on it, so that you can achieve your goal. If you cannot do this, you might not be able to cast a single spell in this world."

"Why do I even have to learn the way of magic of this world when I have already learned about it in mine?!", I felt my old stubborness rise for the first time in months. I wouldn't let this one slide easily without a good explanation. It was Andromath that answered the question.

"It will be better for you if you only do the magic from our world", he said. "If you are seen doing strange and foreign magic, someone could come behind the scharade and throw you into a dungeon, torturing you for information. We are only doing this for your own safety. We have to in this tension filled times. The Warchief of the Horde would probably like nothing more than get his hands on you and torture you for war information of your world." I swallowed yet again, all of my anger evaporated. I thought of the atomic bombs again and imagined one of them hitting Stormwind just because I was too stubborn to accomodate and learn the magic of this world. I hung my head in shame.

Klevius shook his head. "You are young and don't think about the consequences, but you have a good heart. There is nothing to be ashamed of, Harry", when I didn't raise my head, he picked the stone up and held it under my nose. "Now try again, slowly this time, and clear your head of all the thoughts that keep it occupied. We both know you can do it."

I looked up at the man and saw a warm smile directed at me. I felt a sudden confidence shoot through me and slowly took the stone back into my hands. I sat down again in the large armchair, sinking deep into the cushion, and closed my eyes. The stone was still pulsating in a peaceful sequence and I concentrated only on this feeling. I imagined it being my heart outside of my body that I had to keep beating with my energy and I felt how the magic channeled in my core. It ran through my veins, to my arm and down them to my hands. My head was so clear at this moment.

Beat. Beat. Beat.

Tingling at my fingertips.

Beat. Beat. Beat. Beat. BeatBeatBeatBeatBeatBeatBeatBeatBeatBeat.

The tingling growing. Sparks of energy.

BeatBeatBeatBeatBeatBeatBeatBeatBeatBeat-

Flowing like water. Movement. Breath in, breath out.

BeatBeatBeatBeatBeatBeatBeatBearBeatBeatBeatBeatBe atBeatBeatBeat-

"It works", I heard a whisper and finally opened my eyes. Klevius and Andromath stared at the stone in my hand that glowed in a bright white light. I was so relieved to see something happend that I forgot to stop the flow of magic and the stone glowed brighter and brighter. At the end, it was far to bright and the three of us weren't able to see anything, untill the stone suddenly exploded. A rain or shards went down on the carpet and the magic that had been in the stone knocked us even further into our armchairs, the one with Klevius on it even toppling over. The energy in the room wreaked havoc, destroying the walls, the soft carpet and the fireplace untill Andromath raised his hand and the magic was dragged into the gem on his staff. Then it was silent.

"I had not seen such a huge reaction coming", Andromath said and looked at me interestingly. "You are an astounding young man."

"Thank you", I didn't know if I should feel ashamed or relieved that it had worked a little to well. I took the compliment and looked at the fallen armchair. "Master Klevius, are you alright?"

"I've survived worse", he said, struggling to get up. I stood up, went to him and held out my hand. He took it thankfully and I helped him on his feet. "But I have to say, I have not seen such a reaction with a student since I witnessed Jaina's test."

"Me too", Andromath shook of the dust on his robes. "This young man certainly is very powerful, but he has to train a lot to master the gift he was bestowed with."

"What kind of magic will I study?", I asked.

"You will study the Arcane Magic, the purest but also most dangerous form of magic. You will start your training tomorrow at ten o'clock. Please don't be late again. Your teacher can be very ... explosive." Klevius looked at the chaos around him and I blushed. "Hermione will show you your room and your new robes. From tomorrow onward, you will be a student of the School of Arcane Studies."

I didn't know what else to respond with, so I bowed deeply to him and Andromath and then straightened my back. In this moment, there was a knock on the door and Hermione opened it slightly.

"Is everything alright?", she asked when she saw the chaos that had once been the room. Andromath nodded his head.

"This young man's magic just ran a little wild. Nothing to worry about. I will call for repair tomorrow."

"Hermione, please take Harry to his room. It is the empty one next to yours. His robes will be ready for him when he arrives there. He will join the Arcane Tree."

"I knew it!", Hermione jumped in the air and then hugged me so tight that I would she wanted me to suffocate. I had to struggle myself out of her grip or else I would have died.

"Thank you, Master Klevius, High Sorcerer Andromath, for this chance to study the Arcane Magic", I bowed again. "I will do my best."

"We are certain you will", both men said and smiled at me. I smiled back when I straightened again and then waved them farewell and left the room with the girl. The last words they both spoke I almost didn't hear: "May the Magic guide you."

* * *

After Hermione had dragged me to my room and told me where everything was, I was lying on my bed and starring at the ceiling. My robes were hanging in a neat little wardrobe made of thick light brown wood. A window was at the far end of my room, but it didn't show the outside. It was one of the magic windows again and Hermione had told me it would show me everything I wanted to see of this world.

One of the first things I had asked the window to show me was, curiously, Acherus. When the window changed and I could finally see what it showed me, I swallowed deeply. Acherus was a giant black stronghold, flying high above a burned out land. There were abandoned farmhouses everywhere and I was sure that its inhabitants hadn't left them on their own accord. According to the inscription benath the window, this land was called 'Eastern Plagueland' and the stronghold was 'Acherus, the Ebon Hold'. I really was curious to get to know what had happened in this land that it was so devastated and dead.

I ended my observation and fell down on my bed. Ever since then I was lying there, staring at the ceiling and wondering who my teacher was. Would it be someone whose other self I knew from my world? Or would it be a complete stranger? I knew it wasn't possible, but I somehow hoped that it would be Sirius being my teacher for tomorrow. My heart ached to see this man again after such a long time and sadness washed over me when I thought about his demise in my world.

Sighing deeply, I sat up and crawled under the covers, then blowing out the candle. I was so exhasuted from pouring my magic into the stone that I felt like I would never be able to get up again. But I had to. And I had to be refreshed for my first lesson tomorrow.

With this last thought, I closed my eyes and sleep soon overtook me.

* * *

_I hope my explanation of how a person gets to know his skill tree was okay. I'm trying to stay as close to the World of Warcraft lore as possible, but some things I just have to invent. _

_The next chapter will introduce a new character yet again, also someone Harry already knows. A cookie to anyone who can guess who it is :D_

_Best Wishes,_

_Alaythassa_


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